Chiefs in the Shire Valley district of Nsanje have gunned down the Shire Valley Transformation Programme-SVTP distance of 6.3 kilometers allocated to the district in the second phase of the programme.
This was echoed on Saturday during an Ordinary Full Council meeting for Nsanje.
Senior Chief Tengani said he is not satisfied with the explanation made by SVTP saying Nsanje should be considered before making the designs of the project.
However, he said the portion allocated to the district can not address the food insecurity rocking the district.
Concurring with Tengani, Senior Chief Chimombo observed that Nsanje is not benefiting equally as Chikwawa where the project is coming from.
He said the name Shire Valley covers the duo districts of Chikwawa and Nsanje but expressing worry that only Chikwawa has taken the lion’s share of the programme.
“If this is the case the name SVTP should change to Chikwawa Transformation Programme,” he suggested.
Principal Irrigation Engineer, James Chikungu said the designs were made for the same distance.
“There is a need for further consultations for the SVTP to change the given distance,” he said.
Intervening into the matter Nsanje District Commissioner, Dr Medison Matchaya said the matter can only be addressed by policy makers.
“Traditional leaders and technocracts are at loggerheads which can only be handled by the policy makers,” said the DC.
First phase of the projects covers 52 kilometres from the intake at Kapichira dam to Lengwe in Chikwawa district.
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