The Oniipa Town Council is grappling with unauthorised occupation of land and construction in planned areas.
This situation, mayor Jafet Augustus said, has compromised the effectiveness of town planning initiatives, thus slowing down development.
Augustus continued that one of the major challenges faced by the town council in planning developmental initiatives is the issue of residents occupying land illegally.
“It has been communicated with the headmen of villages surrounding Oniipa to stop allocating land within the council’s jurisdiction, but they continue to allocate land and it is hampering the council’s planned activities,” said Augustus.
The mayor stated this as he delivered the budget statement for the financial year 2024/2025 recently. He said since Oniipa town is surrounded by villages, people ignore the council and engage with their village headmen to give them pieces of land, on which they construct their structures as it is the norm within rural settlements.
Furthermore, Augustus stated that it is difficult for the council to achieve its developments timeously, because they are often met with resistance from the community members, especially from nearby villages.