PUBLIC WARNED AGAINST ABUSE OF CITY PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN

Stakeholders in a group photo after the Launch of the city Physical Development Plan on September 14, 2023.
 
By Godwin Abedican
 
Arua City
 
Arua city Physical Planning Committee is warning the public in city of dire consequences for violation and abuse of the city’s physical development plan

Following grass root consultation that commenced in March 2021 towards establishing how the city can be planned for future developments and investments, the city officially launched her PDP on September 14, 2023 aimed at a 20 years process of the implementation of the approved plan for 2022-2040 that covers a total land area of 401.8 square kilometers.
 
Moses Oguttu the city planner Arua therefore encourages the public to make consultations before commencing with constructions.
 
“We encourage the people to come to our office, make applications and seek necessary approvals before they start their developments because we are now in a city. For those who have already put up structures, there can be retrospective approvals if they haven’t violated the standards, where we can approve their plans probably where illegal structures have been put up in the right manner without interfering with the reserves,” he said.
Ogutu further adds that, the physical planning committee will not sit back to watch any encroachments occur in violations of the city’s approved plan following the numerous efforts through sanitizations and community barazas against the same.
 
“The fines are very clear; the law says you can be jailed for two years or pay a fine worth 48 currency points or both. However, after serving that, you are still compelled to put the land to its original state before you started constructing. Meaning the development must be destroyed. Our office is open let the people do legal consultations and for those who will chose to do the illegal ones or start their developments without approval, things are not going to be easy for them,” he said in an interview.
 
He further acknowledged the gap that existed in the implementation and enforcement of the plan due to the lack of a formal system which he says has since been improved by the establishment of the city court.
 
“Our only challenge previously was that we did not have the city court. Now that the city court has started, the law empowers us to destroy any illegal building, the developer can be tried in court and also made to reinstate the land. So, for those who are doing illegal developments, our Principle Town Agents (PTAs) are compiling the lists of those developments we have not approved, we give to our legal officer to file in court to seek permission from court to have them broken down,” he warned.
This comes in the wake of the approaching dry season which is always a peak period for construction and other land related activities that have always interfered with the plans.