Illegal allocation of land continues through RDCs

—-The district administration and civic authority in Kalomo are baffled with the continuous trend by Resident Development Committees (RDCs) chairpersons of allocating plots to individuals in the township.

 

District Commissioner, Lucia Mwiinde, has since asked the council to make a land audit and take to task such individuals who have taken the law into their hands.

 

Ms Mwiinde said land in the country was vested in the President through the Commissioner of Lands who has delegated all civic authorities in the country to be agents.

 

She wondered where the RDC chairpersons have derived the powers to allocate land without the consent of the council which has seen the mushrooming of unplanned shanty compounds in the township with un-desirable structures denting the beauty of the once first administrative capital of the country.

 

However, Council Secretary, Forster Nasilele, said the RDCs have no legal right to allocate plots, adding that the purpose of the formation of such entities was merely administrative in the respective residential areas.

 

The two leaders were responding to District Development Coordinating Committee (DDCC) members who raised concern over the poor status of Magrimond and Mawaya shanty compounds in Kalomo where people are given plots illegally with their land offers being also subjected to be revoked any time even after having paid colossal sums of money to the RDC committees.

 

Meanwhile, the DDCC in Kalomo has expressed concern over the delay of the tarring of the 10 km township roads under the Pave Zambia programme including an additional 20 km stretch and the construction of the new modern civic centre, all under the financial assistance of the Ministry of Local Government and Housing.

 

The members also lamented over the non-development of the ‘Village green’, a 10,000 square  metres bare piece of land that stands in front of the town which has been idle for some years  without receiving investor attention to give the town a face lift.

  

‘Village Green’  holds a national monument plaque that gives the rich historic status of the town when it was the first capital of Northern Rhodesia under the reign of British South African (BSA) company, administrator, Robert Corydon, from 1902-7, before it was taken to Livingstone.

 

Earlier, Shoprite Checkers was awarded a plot on the bare land but later rescinded its decision leaving the civic authority pondering to woo any would-be serious development investors for the open land.