FORT PORTAL: Fort Portal City Council is seeking a sum of 80 million shillings to relocate timber dealers from the central business district to pave the way for re-development. This comes as the city is getting ready to fix Kahunga Bunyonyi and the water supply road under the Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development project, which is set to start this month.
Prosper Businge, the head of Financial Planning and Administration at Fort Portal City Council, says that the city is currently seeking Sh80 million to facilitate the relocation of timber dealers to Harubaho cell, Bazaar ward in Fort Portal City central division. Businge says they have set aside Shillings 50 million under the Development Discretionary Equalization Grant-DDEG to kickstart the relocation exercise.
She says that the money will be used to level the three hectares of land that will accommodate the dealers. “The bills of quantities show that a total of 80 million is needed for this exercise. But as a council, we have 50 million schillings so far, which we want to start using to relocate the timber sellers, “she said.
RELATED STORIES
He added that “the money will be used to extend power, clean water, the construction of latrines and kiosks, among other essential items, especially for the people that have been affected by the road construction.” According to their survey, about 150 people are affected by the proposed road construction work.
Herbert Kaihura, the Fort Portal City Principal Engineer, says that the town clerk’s office has sent notices to people who do business on the road so that they can plan for the changes that are coming up soon.
Kaihura says that the Kahungabunyi water supply road project has been delayed due to the slow relocation of the timber sellers. People who sell timber in the city of Fort Portal are moving to Harubaho, says Mayor Edson Ruyonga. This will be the first step in zoning businesses in the city to make it more orderly, he says.
It is a coincidence that the road construction has affected our people on the said road. However, I wish to inform the public that whether the road is constructed or not, we had earlier passed a resolution to zone various businesses in the city, and the public must be aware of that, “Ruyonga stated.
He says that a series of meetings have since been held to that effect, and the timber dealers are complying with the council resolution.
