Jirapa (U/W), April 27, GNA - Naa Ansoleh Ganaa II, Paramount Chief of the Jirapa Traditional Area, has expressed disappointment at Zoomlion Company, describing its operations in the town as poor and irritating. He said Jirapa has its streets, gutters and drains as well as public places choked with garbage and this is giving the town a poor outlook to visitors.

Naa Ansoleh Ganaa was addressing members of the Jirapa District Assembly at its first ordinary meeting at Jirapa on Monday. He said polythene bags and other materials were the lot of the town while workers of the company were idling unperturbed. The chief urged authorities of the company to either ensure that the workers work or consider withdrawing them from the town. Naa Ansoleh Ganaa blamed the Jirapa District Assembly for failing to enforce its bye-laws to the letter and allowing sheep, goats, pigs and cows to roam the streets and causing road accidents. He asked the assembly to impound all animals that are found roaming in the streets and put heavy fines on them.

Naa Ansoleh Ganaa said he was also not happy about the indiscriminate felling of the shea and dawadawa trees by men for their wives for fuel wood. "This practice is unacceptable considering the economic and health values those trees have for the people," he said. He urged the assembly to enforce its bye-laws to protect those trees from extinction. Naa Ansoleh Ganaa said he had directed chiefs and other traditional authorities to form committees to monitor the types of firewood that women fetch.

Any woman who cut shea and dawadawa trees for fuel wood would have them seized and sent to the hospital kitchen and the woman fined. He advised the assembly to involve chiefs in the collection of taxes and other levies to help mobilize more revenue for the assembly. Naa Ansoleh Ganaa said he was collaborating with some development partners to help provide potable water for the people. Mr. Cezar Kale, the Deputy Upper West Regional Minister, called for the enforcement of expenditure ceilings and byelaws of the assembly to make its more accountable to the people. Mr. Kale appealed to the members to intensify revenue generation activities and avoid the over-reliance on the District Assembly Common Fund. He advised the assembly to embrace the Community Based Rural Development Project and the District Wide Assistance Programme to bring more development to the area.