Monday, October 12, 2009

FACELIFT FOR TAMALE METROPOLIS (PAGE 29, OCT 6)

THE Tamale Metropolitan Assembly (TAMA) has drawn up an ambitious plan to rehabilitate infrastructural facilities in the metropolis.
When completed, the plan would help improve on the socio-economic lives of residents, as well as uplift the status of the area to befit it as a metropolis.
The plan will also improve sectors such as tourism and investment drive, electrification, water and sanitation, education, road, trade and commerce.
The development of a fully fledged website, where the world can access and appreciate Tamale better through the Internet, is a top priority for the assembly. The website would be constantly updated in order to meet the expectations of prospective investors and tourists.
Nine peri-urban communities in the metropolis, namely Wamale, Gbashe, Zuo, Parshe, Kanville, Lahagu, Taha, Dungu and Zujung are to be provided with pipe-borne water.
Additionally, 40 other communities in the sprawling city are also to be provided with rain water harvesting tanks and toilet facilities. New Energy, a non-governmental organisation, and other organisations are supporting the TAMA in that direction.
Although a number of communities are connected to the grid, a good number of suburbs in the metropolis are still without electricity.
As part of the Rural Development initiative of TAMA, budgetary allocation would be made every year for the next four years.
This year, about 1,000 wooden poles would be procured to support the rural electrification programme in the area.
In the area of education, planners in the assembly had observed that there was the need to give that sector a major boost.
In that regard, 12 peri-urban communities would benefit from two unit-classroom blocks with sick bay, furniture, toilet/urinal and learning materials for each community.
The beneficiary communities are Choggu, Dohini, Dungu, Dunying, Kunyevilla, Zugung and Wamale East. The rest are Guunayili/Kanbonayili, Nyohini Tuu-tingly, Dakpema and Kateriga.
As the city expands and the number of vehicles increases, the current road network becomes inadequate to carry the volume of traffic. To that effect, the assembly in collaboration with the Department of Urban Roads would embark on major road construction and rehabilitation. The roads to be repaired include the Old Karaga Road and Gumani-Kanvilli Road, just to mention a few.
Indeed, trade and commerce play vital roles towards enhancing the socio-economic lives of residents.
One area that has not seen major renovation for years is the Aboabu Market Area, where there is a large concentration of residents who buy and sell foodstuffs and other commodities.
The assembly is making strenuous efforts to complete the Aboabu Supermarket Project, which was started several years ago. Discussions are underway with a Chinese company which has agreed to redesign the entire structure for work to start.
According to the Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), Alhaji Abdulai Haruna Friday, an Advisory Council has been formed and given the task to understudy, deliberate and offer wise counsel on a wide range of issues bordering on moral decadence, juvenile delinquency and indiscipline, among others.
He intimated that the assembly’s “Bilchinsi” initiative was one of the processes by which it hoped to ensure peace in the metropolis.
Touching on issues of governance, the MCE expressed the assembly’s determination to ensure that all its three sub-metropolitan assemblies which were currently dysfunctional were properly resourced and made functional.
“I will, therefore, ensure that all the three sub-metros have at least 90 per cent of their staff in place and functioning by March 2010,” he stressed.

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