Assembly unhappy about delay

Elmina (Central Region) -- The Presiding Member of the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem (KEEA) District Assembly, Frank Appiah, on Thursday said the failure of the Attorney General's Department to gazette its bye-laws had made the administration of law and order in the district difficult.

Appiah said that the absence of such laws had rendered the assembly a “toothless bull dog” and had made the assembly's effort to stem vices like child loitering and harassment of tourists and truancy futile.

The presiding member who was addressing the first session of the assembly at Elmina, in this regard, appealed to the A-G's department to expedite action on all by-laws submitted for final approval to enable the assembly enforce law and order in the district.

On chieftaincy, Appiah also expressed concern about the numerous chieftaincy disputes in the area, and their effect on socio-economic development and called on all factions involved to settle them amicably to facilitate development.

He pointed out that the assembly needs peace and tranquillity in its efforts to reduce poverty and ignorance in the district. Appiah reiterated the need for the assembly members to eschew all forms of political, religious and personal negative tendencies and to remain neutral in disputes.

The District Chief Executive (DCE), Nana Ato Arthur in his address asked the finance and administration sub-committee and the accounts and budget and planning units of the assembly to evolve strategies to step up revenue generation as a “matter of urgency”.

This, he said, was imperative, as the assembly was last year able to realise only 411,866,556.39 cedis of the internally generated revenue target of 571,637,400.00 cedis.

He however, announced that the Assembly was able to settle about 70 per cent of its indebtedness to contractors and suppliers adding that his administration inherited a debt of 3bn cedis and had a balance of 900m cedis to pay.

On development, the DCE, enumerated a number of projects being carried out with the support of organisations like the European Union, and through government interventions such as the HIPC relief and district assemblies common and the GETFund.

These include the construction and renovations of school buildings, the provision of toilets, potable water and health facilities. He however, charged assembly members to rekindle communal spirit in their areas to facilitate the early completion of projects.

On the new transport fares, he expressed concern that transport operators are not conforming to the 40 per cent increase agreed upon and warned that drivers who flout it would be brought to book.

Nana Kodwo Eduakwa V, chief of Attonkwa who stood in for the paramount chief of the Edina traditional area, Nana Kodwo Conduah VI, appealed to the assembly to find a lasting solution to the problem between the canoe and 'Seiko' fishermen once and for all to avert any possible clash between the two groups.

A new fire service station for the township, was later commissioned a by the DCE, to bring to two, the number of fire stations in the district. Speaking at the ceremony, Nana Arthur, regretted that there were 12 major fire outbreaks in the district last year, which resulted in the loss of property running into several millions of cedis.

Agyarko Attobrah, Regional Fire Officer appealed to fishermen to stop storing petroleum products in their room, since it was the major cause of fire outbreaks in the area.