Asesewa (Eastern Region) - The Deputy Eastern Regional Minister, Gustav Narh Dometey on Wednesday opened a District Magistrate's Court at Asesewa to serve the people of the Manya Krobo District. The opening of the court coincided with the launch of activities marking the celebration of the Local Government Week in the District.

Dometey said government was committed to ensuring that all courts in the country had modern equipment to enhance the capacity for quick delivery of justice. He said developmental projects including water, roads and schools had already been spread all over the country and that by the end of the first term of office of the New Patriotic Party government, every district and community would have had at least some basic projects completed for them.

Dometey said he was optimistic that the extension of the services of the Judicial Service to the area would speed up delivery of justice and advised the people to forge ahead as one people with one destiny.

The new Magistrate, Kofi Tandoh, advised the people in the District not to wait until cases reached the court before asking for out-of-court settlement. He warned that he would not allow serious cases like rape, murder and defilement to be settled outside the court.

In a speech read on behalf of the Manya Krobo District Chief Executive, Andrew Teye, he said the Assembly in its efforts to ensure that decision-making at the local level was done effectively the Unit Committees would be empowered to manage their own affairs.

To this end, he said all Area and Town Councils would be assisted to have offices, which would be manned by efficient people to co-ordinate Unit Committee activities and keep the assembly constantly informed about developments at the grassroots through their monthly reports and other presentations.

This would also assist the assembly to have reliable and accurate data for planning in the District, the DCE said, and cautioned the committees against lawlessness and misappropriation "which have earlier characterised decentralisation".

As part of the programme a member of the National Health Insurance Task Team was invited to explain the scheme to the people in the area. Ampong Darkwa, the member, explained that the scheme had been designed to assist the poor and the aged in the District, who needed health care and said the premium could be paid in cash or in kind, depending on the peculiar circumstances prevailing in a particular district.