The Parliamentary Committee on Local Government and Rural Development has expressed satisfaction with the workmanship in the construction of development projects in the Balaka district.
Chairperson of the committee, Horace Chipuwa, was speaking on Wednesday after touring the newly constructed Balaka District Hospital guardian shelter and Rivirivi Extension Planning Area (EPA) offices which have been constructed with the District Development Fund (DDF) and the Governance to Enable Service Delivery (GESD) respectively.
“The quality of the infrastructure is of a high standard, and as a committee, we are delighted mainly because the projects have addressed some of the pressing needs people were facing in the district,” said Chipuwa.
He added: “You can see that initially, guardians at the hospital were sleeping outside but now, they are seeking refuge in a safe and conducive environment. Likewise, at the EPA, extension workers were operating from a very dilapidated office, but now that’s a song of the past.”
Meanwhile, the Director of Planning and Development for Balaka District Council, Chris Nawata, says the council feels motivated by the remarks of the committee.
“We are very encouraged with sentiments, especially coming from the committee, which has a direct oversight role of supervising various development projects in the country.
“We will strive more to deliver projects of high-quality standards,” Nawata emphatically said.
Later on, the chairperson of Balaka District Council, Pharaoh Kambiri, appealed for an adjustment of funding in various development projects, citing that the current allocation is not enough to effectively enable the council to solve several pressing issues as far as delivery of development projects in the district is concerned.
The committee has so far toured various projects in Ntcheu and Balaka districts, with an expectation to do the same in Thyolo and Chikwawa districts.
