…PAC District Chair unhappy with snail pace of development from council
It seems the rot in District Councils has almost affected all districts in Malawi.
The Public Affairs Committee (PAC), Dowa District Chair, the Reverend Father Elias Chizule has asked the Dowa District Council to come in the open that it has failed to act on its land at Mponela trading centre in the district because of political interferences.
Reverend Father Chizule feared that if the trend continues to be what it is today, then the council will be in trouble with the Urban Structure Plan not fully implemented.
Father Chizule wondered why the council has taken long for the matter to be resolved amicably and instead wants to have a committee to oversee the Urban Structure Plan development at Mponela.
The Rev. Father Chizule was commenting on a detailed layout plan for Mponela which was prepared by the Department of Physical Planning for the District executive council committee members to give their input.
At the recent full council meeting held at the boma, Dowa MPs and councillors took their time in criticising the secretariat for failing to implement a resolution which was passed to demolish some structures built illegally at the Mponela trading centre in the district for a bus deport.
The MPs and councillors accused the secretariat of being good at planning than implementing the activity just the same as it has done with the Nambuma trading centre, Dowa boma and Lumbadzi in the district where similar resolutions were passed but to no avail.
But, the council’s Acting Director of Planning and Development, Martin Pindamkono said the council is doing everything possible to implement the Mponela Urban Structure Plan in the district.
Pindamkono admitted the element of political interferences at Mponela saying after the council made a resolution to demolish some structures, party flags were seen raised high up by the vendors in support of their parties which clearly demonstrated that politics was at its best.
“The buildings which are along the M1 Lilongwe – Kasungu road at Mponela trading centre are within 30 metres from the Road Reserve Boundaries which the council has no option but demolishing them completely,” he said.
The ADPD further said the council will engage the National Roads Authority(NRA) on how best to implement the Urban Structure Plan saying rushing into demolition exercise will put the council into lawsuits.
The Mponela Urban Structure Plan was one of the priority projects along side Dowa boma, borehole drillings, rehabilitation of boma resthouse to a lodge and Dowa mini stadium brick wall fence construction to benefit from the Mk208 million which was slashed to Mk124 million, 2015/16 Financial Year under District Development Fund (DDF).
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