Stop operating unauthorised local radio stations - Amoah

Agona-Nkwanta (W/R), Jan 30, GNA - Mr Anthony Evans Amoah, Western Regional Minister, at the weekend advised FM stations operating without license at Agona-Nkwanta to regularise their operations or stop broadcasting.

Reacting to complaints at a Peoples' Assembly at Agona-Nkwanta about 93excessive noise" being made by some FM stations, Mr Amoah said nobody had the right to operate a local radio station without permission.

He warned that excessive noise-making is an offence and asked district assemblies to enforce their by-laws relating to the issue. However, district assemblies can permit FM stations to broadcast only announcements, he added.

Mr Amoah said environmental courts would soon be established to prosecute residents and others who would be found degrading or polluting the environment.

Answering a question on the high prices of cement, Mr Joseph Boahen Aidoo, Member of Parliament for Wassa Amenfi East, said the government could not control prices because the country has a liberal economy. "Prices cannot be controlled, they are decided by market forces," he added.

Mr Aidoo said what the government could do was to create an enabling environment to attract competition in cement production or allow individuals to import cement in order to force down prices. Topics discussed at the Assembly included the high rate of teenage pregnancy in the district.

Addressing another Peoples' Assembly at Daboase in the Mpohor Wassa East District, Mr Amoah called on the people to take advantage of the government's programmes such as the micro credit scheme to improve their standard of living.

The Regional Minister, who is the Member of Parliament for the area, expressed concern that people in the district were not taking advantage of the Youth Employment Programme and the National Health Insurance Scheme.

Mr Amoah said the district had the lowest number of registered clients of the NHIS although the district was a pilot area for the scheme.

Mr Edward Tawiah Amprofi, District Chief Executive, said a total of 227 SSS graduates have been recruited as community teaching assistants under the Youth Employment Programme and 27 people have been employed by Messrs ZoomLion under the sanitation module of the programme. He said out of the district's total population of 122,505, only 30,738 people had registered with the District Mutual Health Insurance Scheme. 30 Jan. 07