Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development has urged communities in Traditional Authority Symon in Neno District to follow land use plans and stop selling customary land to transform development in the area.
The ministry’s acting deputy director of quality assurance in the Southern Region, Elizabeth Tizola, said the plans provide guidance for proper land utilisation, strengthen land security and promote sustainable developments.
She assured the communities that the ministry does not want to take their land as village land use plans were prepared by the communities themselves together with the district council and the ministry.
“According to section 43(A) of the Physical Planning [Amendment] Act, the whole country is a planning area, as such, there is a need for collaboration between physical planning officers and communities whenever they are using the land,” said Tizola.
Senior Chief Symon said the will reduce land disputes among community members.
Neno district physical planning land officer Wilson Msowoya said negligence among some people and political interference are some of the challenges they face on land usage.
He said the plans are crucial to ensuring that development is carried out in a coordinated manner.
“I advise land users to follow the plans as well as present their plans to the district council before they implement any project because the district council is responsible for monitoring the implementation to ensure that the plans are followed,” said Msowoya.
