Mon, 19 Jun 2017 10:10:57 +0000
By VIOLET TEMBO
GOVERNMENT has released over K21 million to compensate 486 settlers on the land earmarked for construction of the Copperbelt greenfield airport in Ndola.
Provincial permanent secretary Elias Kamanga said that the ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of the airport by President Edgar Lungu will be held on June 25.
Addressing the press at Cabinet Office, Mr Kamanga said that 1,000 offer letters had since been issued and would be handed to settlers next week.
He said relocation of the farmers will be undertaken in two phases with priority attached to settlers that had settled on the land earmarked to house the airport runway.
Mr Kamanga said the administration had since identified and secured land in Misaka area, West Forest Reserve number five, where the 186 settlers will be relocated to.
He said in the resettlement action plan prepared by his office, all affected households will be compensated accordingly.
“As a caring Government, we have owned up to our word to compensate the settlers affected by the project.
“A total of K 21,478,986 has been released to compensate settlers that have been displaced to pave way for construction of the airport. You know the project has delayed because of technical issues which required to be resolved and the biggest was resettling farmers in the area,” he said.
The settlers occupied over 2,000 hectares of land on which the airport is expected to be sited, hence the plan to resettle them in two phases.
“First batch of 186 farmers will be relocated next week and offer letters to the land on which they are being relocated to are ready awaiting that I append signature. One thousand hectares in Misaka has since been surveyed and demarcated,’’ he said.
Mr Kamanga assured the farmers that funds have since been deposited in the Copperbelt account and details of the disbursement will be availed during disclosure meeting.
He said that expectations were high on the start of the project which is expected to create jobs for people in Ndola, Mufulira, Luanshya and Kitwe.
