Kapiri streets to be lit
Written by Millennium on August 5, 2019
KETRA KALUNGA writes
KAPIRI Mposhi Town council has unveiled another project under which it will light up 1.5 kilometres of streets at a lot of K400,000 in Tazara Township.
Unveiling the project on Saturday, Minister of Local Government Charles Banda said the street lights would not only promote security but also increase economic activities in the district.
Mr Banda stated street lighting promoted the quality of life by artificially extending light so that economic and social activities could take place till late hours.
He said the project was one of the low-cost interventions aimed at preventing accidents and crime.
Mr Banda said with the installation of street lights on Tazara road, cases of crime and attacks on train users walking into the train station would be reduced.
“Train users walking into the train station were being attacked at night as they had to walk in the darkness. With the streets we expect to see a reduction in incidences of crime and attacks on innocent citizens,” Mr Banda said.
He commended the council management for the project and urged stakeholders including residents of Kapiri to be on guard to ensure the street lights were not vandalised.
“It is disheartening that we continue to receive reports of vandalism on government infrastructure while you our stakeholders who are the primary beneficiaries seem to be unconcerned. You have the duty to report anyone vandalising government property,” Mr Banda said.
Council chairperson Obby Kabasa said effectiveness and efficiency of service delivery to the community had been the council’s priority.
Mr Kabasa said the council was mandated to provide services to all the people in the district in line with the Local Government Act.
“Efficient service delivery is one of the functions that makes this level of government closer to the people, especially those with less or more access to the services offered,” Mr Kabasa said.
Kapiri Mposhi Member of Parliament (MP) Stanley Kakubo said for a long town the town had been considered nothing but a transit town but that image had with time been gradually changing.
Mr Kakubo said business opportunities were sprouting in the district with transit logistics and manganese mining which had seen an increase in the number of investors.
He said the presence of the investors had improved the economy of the district and its capacity to produce and add to the national gross domestic product (GDP).
“Having said this, these efforts have not been archived by one individual but the collective efforts of my office, the district commissioner and the council,” Mr Kakubo said.
