Land encroachment worrying

Dear Editor

THE increase in population has its own merits and demerits.

In Chongwe the greatest challenge of population increase is lack of decent jobs and so everyone wants to make ends meet by engaging in trading in various merchandise at the market.

However, the market has become too small to accommodate all traders and to this effect some traders have opted to conduct their businesses outside the market peripheral even on the pavement of Great East Road.

What is worrying most is that some chicken and maize bran dealers have encroached on the Chongwe Primary School football pitch.

On the southern part, the football pitch is being encroached on by make shift Tuntemba and some light truck drivers who ferry passengers and goods to Kanakantapa.

As if this is not bad enough, local authority collects market levies from theses traders making their stay on the school ground ‘legal’. With passage of time, these men and women will build permanent structures in the middle of the playing ground, and that is when someone will wake and demand to demolish the structures in the middle of the night! Chongwe Primary school ground is centrally located and hosts many events such as World Teachers Day, Youth Day, World Womens Day, Labour Day to mention but a few.

Apart from that the field is used by the Chongwe Municipal council for the Friday sports day, and it is also the home ground for division three Chongwe United.

If those traders are not educated to stop trading on this pitch, dreams of producing a Kalusha Bwalya or Samuel Matete will be shattered.

The head teacher let alone the DEBS has no power to evict those traders, but the local authority which is paying a blind eye to the matter.

Are they waiting for our men and women to build expensive structures before they move in to demolish the structures as is the case with Zambia Railways Limited which wants to demolish structures built on its land in Kafue?

Let the council be proactive than be reactive. It is said that a "stitch in time saves nine later", so let the local authority make the right move now

It is never too late, prevention is better than cure. Don't say you were not told.

CHAKWIYA BORNFACE,

Chongwe