According to the Senior Divisional Officer for Mezam Division, there are pockets of resistance in the Mankon Fondom as concerns the ongoing road project in the City of Bamenda, which has already being welcomed in Bamenda 1 and 3. Simon Emile Mooh says the Bamenda City Council (B.C.C) is facing challenges in promoting development in the City.
"The BCC is faced with 2 main challenges in promoting development in the city; the sanitary crisis and meeting the aspirations of the people in the implementation of the Urban road project in the City. The Mankon Population is still hesitating, a Fondom known nationwide needs it's roads to be tarred".
"Work is being disturbed and workers are kidnapped, totorturing local engineers, mainly those who are not from the Northwest region. Councilors should tell the population about the importance of the project." SDO Mezam, Simon Emile Mooh.
Partial View of Ordinary Session sitting
In order to sort a way forward and have the City Council count its achievements, the issue of the roads in Bamenda was a major concern in the 1st ordinary session for 2020 Administrative and management accounts of the Bamenda City Council on Wednesday 31st March 2021 in Bamenda.
The Administrator said the World Bank was doing all to meet the aspirations of the people, but cannot forge ahead when there is still some resistance in some areas, reason why he reminded councilors of their job; sensitizing people about the need to welcome and allow the project to push through.
The 2nd wave of the health pandemic, is another challenge faced in the Northwest region and which requires follow-up, assistance through MINDEVEL to support councils provide assistance to schools to guard against the disease.
City Mayor, Achobong Tambeng Paul
The City Mayor talked about 2020 achievements being meager due to the lack of liquidity and indebtedness, coupled with the armed conflict ongoing and the health crisis, he explained these factors couldn't allow the City council realize much since it was the year, him and his team took over office.
"In 2020, challenges of ghost townsa and other issues related, the dual crisis punctured our activities. we sensitized, educated the population about the need to work together. In Bamenda 3 ghost town is almost completely buried, in Bamenda 1 there are no trace observations of ghost town, but for Bamenda 2 there are still pockets of resistance."
"We will tackle the tissue together. Same year 2020 the challenges of road Infastructure was major; roads were bad and since 2020 was our 1st year into office, we couldn't attend to the roads first, but lay ground works on what to do". Paul Achobong Tambeng Paul, Bamenda City Mayor.
Councilors in Session
He mentioned during the session that, planning to him, is a very important ingredient/ aspect in realization. He prefers to spend more time in planning.
"The technical services of the city council and the Administration spent good time redesigning project which are now ongoing In town. The contractor was enticed to begin work, but the SDO's efforts are commendable, walking through the streets of Bamenda with his entire team, doing so several times to ensure that work is done properly." City Mayor Saluted SDO's efforts.
SDO on the Field
The population have been so far collaborative because, work is ongoing. Buildings that were in the way of the project were marked and demolished. Communiqués were issued and extended but some property owners wouldn't bulge and made it a huge challenge for the B.C.C, then the SDO went to the field on a regular basis.
The City Mayor says the rains wouldn't be a problem and work is fully on progress.
"The rains are arround the corner, yes and works are not slow either, over 50 equipments are being used on a daily basis and there is progress. We are at the preliminary stage and we are hopeful that the roads will be passable even with the rains. But when the rains become so serious, work will stop because works cannot be done during heavy downpour."
City Mayor.
Roads in Bamenda
The span of the road is meant to be about 16metres for a 2 way carriage road, to the administrators, follow-up Commission for the project, this will be free of future challenges. Though the City Mayor felt that there is a sense of regression.
"After 40years, we are constructing a road of span 16metres whereas, commercial avenue is 22 metres, its width the road, approved for an action plan 40years ago".
His response on the attitude of motorbikes on plying the roads, was based more on observation. He decided not to be to hard on the bike sector believing that all is in order and untill something goes wrong then he will apply strategies to keep the bike sector in check.
"Bikes are creeping back into the city. We have asked them to go back, after respecting the measures the City council passed. But after every law is passed, we relaxed abit, though the people abuse it. During the time the City Council passed restrictions, major crime wave decreased, anytime we discover that there are any increase we will apply it again" City mayor tells Press.
Information gathered from the Administrative and management accounts session of the Bamenda City Council, revealed that total Expenditure for the year 2020, stood at 1,948,469,275 and about 511 million francs Cfa carried to 2021 financial year.
By Ndefru Mélanie
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