The Bongo District Assembly in the Upper East Region has rejected the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) proposal for district assemblies to purchase a grader, a water tanker or a tipper truck.
Payments for these heavy-duty equipment would be deducted from the District Assembly Common Fund, a proposal the assembly says would overburden its coffers and draw back the provision of essential services to the people.
Majority of members of the assembly who disagreed with the LGRD proposal said that was not among its top priorities since they had other important needs to attend to in their communities.
The heated debate on whether to purchase the grader or any of the items was brought to rest when majority of the members voted against the proposal.
Mr Alexis Ayamdor, Assembly member for the Zorko Kanga Electoral Area, explained that before the assembly got its portion of the Common Fund, several deductions would have been made from it, leaving an amount too little to meet the demands for development projects.
He indicated that there were a number of projects in the Bongo District as well as other districts which should have been completed by now, but because of the deductions made from the fund at the centralised level, those projects had come to a standstill.
Mr Ayamdor underscored the need for the LGRD to allow the municipal and district assemblies to take their own decisions since they were at the grass roots and knew the communities' pertinent problems.
The assembly, through its 'Model Standing Order', called on Mr Albert Abongo, Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, and Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, to inform it on how he was dealing with the long-standing water problem, especially the ground water fluoride content in the district.
In his response, the MP said the Upper East Region would be benefiting from 200 boreholes out of which the Bongo District would have 30.
He said an Israeli Consultant who was made to conduct a research into the fluoride content of the water and give recommendations had already submitted his report, which is being studied by the ministry.
Mr Abongo indicated that the 'Small Town Water Systems' for Bongo District would be completed and handed over to the government by the end of January and said it would help solve the water problem in the district.
On projects he had so far invested the Common Fund in, he said he would make the list available through the District Finance Officer to be forwarded to the assembly at its next sitting.
The assembly members commended the MP for his hard work and urged him to continue with it. — GNA
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