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Council urged not to demolish illegal shops

 

Karonga District Council has been asked not to demolish illegal shops constructed around the district bus station to avoid bloodshed.

Karonga district council chairperson Patrick Kisyombe is alleged to have offered plots to vendors around the bus station at K10 000 each, without approval from the district physical planning committee.

The disputed shops that vendors constructed in Karonga
The disputed shops that vendors constructed in Karonga

However, chiefs in Karonga say Kisyombe abused his powers by offering land to vendors, a responsibility of the district planning committee.

Speaking in an emergency full council meeting on Wednesday, Paramount Chief Kyungu asked members to accept that the councillor abused his position as he is not legally mandated to allocate land.

Said Kyungu: ‘‘Let us all accept that the mistake was made, but we should not destroy shops in order to solve the initial mistake.

‘‘If we destroy the shops, we would invite an anarchy and bloodshed in town,’’ he said.

Karonga District lands officer Robert Phiri, however, said the land is not ideal for development as it is within a road reserve.

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