By CHARLES TEMBO
Luanshya Municipal Council has issued 341 occupancy licences as part of the Integrated Development Plan in Fisenge area.
Luanshya Mayor Nathan Chanda disclosed this when he presented the licences in Fisenge area.
According to Mr Chanda, an additional of 500 occupancy licences will be issued in phase two.
He said the Council is committed under the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) to see to it that settlement areas are upgraded in order to improve the living conditions of residents.
“We are alive to the fact that once informal areas are fully upgraded there will be changes in the economic and social status of residents,” he said.
He said under the leadership of President Dr Edgar Chagwa Lungu the PF Government Repealed the Town and Planning Act Chapter 283 of the Laws of Zambia and Replaced it with the Urban and Region Planning Act No. 3 of 2015 which provides for the issuance of occupancy licenses by local authorities for a period of 30 years with a provision of renewal.
Mr Chanda said that the issuance of these legally binding documents comes with a lot of benefits among them, it creates sense of ownership and belonging, collateral one can use to get a loan from any lending institution.
“This is also a lifetime empowerment to the residents by the local authority that will result in increased revenue base which will lead to enhanced service delivery. Residents in settlement areas have in the past experienced land ownership encumbrances due to undesignated settlements.
“I’m pleased that such challenges in securing land tenure would now be a thing of the past. I appeal to residents to ensure that they follow the correct procedure when acquiring land in the district. Apart from Fisenge, the issuance of occupancy licenses will also be extended to other settlement areas namely Kamuchanga, Mwaiseni, Buntungwa and Misaka among others,” he said.
