.The District Development Coordinating Committee (DDCC) in Luangwa has expressed disappointment at some projects being funded using constituency development funds saying they are not viable.
During a meeting held on January 4, 2008 in the council Chamber, the DDCC members said Constituency Development Funds should be used to enhance development in communities and not personal gain for a few individuals.
Chairperson for the Planning Sub Committee of the DDCC, Lombe Makasa said the Constituency Development funds and the youth funds have not been used to the expectation of government as most of the projects were not viable.
Mr. Makasa said the Constituency Development Fund Committee (CDFC) has not been rehearsing with his committee to choose projects which are viable and sustainable.
He said the trend with the CDFC was that they wanted all the wards in the Constituency to benefit hence approving projects that were not viable and sustainable.
The DDCC members observed that some projects like requesting for funds to make a kraal should not be funded as this should be community participation.
Meanwhile, Two of the three opposition members of Parliament (MPs) in Mufulira District have welcomed governments move to increase the Constituency Development Funds (CDF) from the current K 200 million to the proposed K 400 million.
The MPs that have welcomed the gesture are Yamfwa Mukanga for Kantanshi and Percy Chanda for Kankoyo constituencies.
The duo told ZANIS in separate interviews in Mufulira today that the proposal was long over.
The MPs said further appealed to government to consider increasing the CDF to at least K1 billion for each constituency.
They added that increasing the money would be a good move as it will go a long way in implementing developmental projects.
But Mufulira Central MP Marjory Masiye says there was no point in increasing the CDF when such funds were usually delayed in being disbursed to intended beneficiaries.
Ms. Masiye lamented that Mufulira Central has for instance not received the K200 million allocated to the constituency in 2007.
And some sections of the civil society in the border town have appealed to government not to disburse the proposed K 400 million CDF funds to councils that have failed to account for the funds in question.
Development Education Community Project (DECOP) Executive Director Edward Lange says, as much as government was interested in bringing development to the masses, there was a lot of cheating in the whole process.
Mr. Lange has since appealed to government to come up with clear guide lines and stringent measures to avoid malpractice.
On Saturday, during, a rally in Mambwe district in the Eastern Province, Local Government Minister Silvia Masebo announced that government had proposed to increase CDF to K 400 million from K 200 million.
