Krachie East District owes contractors GH¢1,648,223.39

Dambai (V/R), Sept. 1, GNA - Krachie East District Assembly in the Volta Region is indebted to 11 contractors to the tune of GH¢1,648,223.39 for various jobs done including building the Assembly's office complex and staff accommodation. Mr Raphael K. Ogyemako, the District Chief Executive (DCE), said the situation was not only alarming but could throw its budget out of gear if attempts were not made to settle the debt. Delivering his maiden address to the Assembly at an ordinary meeting on Tuesday at Dambai, the DCE pledged to ensure that the contractors were paid.

The meeting was also used to approve the Assembly's supplementary budget. Mr Ogyemako said of the 11 contractors working on the district market complex, only six of them were currently working on site, which could lead to the late completion of the project. He said the Assembly saw the market as an important need of the people because Dambai was one of the country's busiest marketing centres, where most traders converged to buy or sell food stuffs. He gave an assurance to the Assembly members that everything would be done to make sure that ongoing projects in the District were completed on schedule.

Mr Ogyemako announced that the Assembly was liaising with the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development to procure motor bikes for the Assembly Members. The motor bikes, to be procured with funds from the Assembly's share of the Common Fund, were to facilitate members' movement to hold regular interactions with the people in their electoral areas. Mr Emil Ampadu, the Presiding Member, reminded the Assembly's revenue collectors to intensify their efforts to enable the assembly to mobilize enough resources to support development projects and urged chiefs and other stakeholders to support the revenue mobilization drive of the Assembly.

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Krachie East, Mr Wisdom Gidisu called on Assembly Members to stop politicizing issues and rather unite towards the development of the District. He said there was the need for them to tackle issues objectively when they met and to avoid craving for projects for their communities at the expense of the entire District.

The MP called on parents and opinion leaders in the society to encourage the youth to study hard both at home and in school. He said they should be counselled against the craze for money at early stages in life, which had led to growing incidence of cyber fraud among other crimes.

Nana Kwasi Osamakoe, Chief of Tokuroano-Attaefie, urged the Assembly to construct teachers' bungalows in deprived areas to serve as incentive to teachers and to attract them to accept posting to such areas. 1 Sept. 09