Speaking in the city yesterday, an official from the ministry, Ms Betha Mlonda, said that it is estimated that 430,000 housing units, which is more than 75 percent of the 55,000 houses in the city have been built randomly in squatter areas - a situation that shows that 70 per cent of residents in the city are living in such areas.
“The programme will be implemented in those areas where homes have been built randomly outside the city.
The first steps involve formalisation which essentially involves encouraging the owner of land to cede part of their land for infrastructure and other social services for economic development,” she said.
She added that various efforts have been made by the government in improving towns and avoiding unplanned settlements where houses have been built against the rules and regulations of urban planning.
She said that the program is collaborative where the public are supposed to corporate with land specialists in identifying the requirement of social services and infrastructure needed within their areas. “Is not all settlements in the city which fall under this initiative.
There are criteria that make some areas suitable for formalization.
The formalization is based on city road networks which are pointed out by Tanrads and municipal councils,” she said. She said that the participation of members of the public in solving conflicts over land is very important.
“We called upon residents in the city to collaborate with city planning officers in order to avoid conflict and to demarcate land boundaries for the benefit of all,” she said.
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