30 residents evicted

KARONGI Local authorities in Karongi district have evicted over 30 families whose houses do not conform to the newly introduced housing standards. The eviction forms part of Western Province’s long-term transformation of housing and related infrastructure which has also seen the relocation of the Kibuye market. A number of restaurants, offices and various work premises that do not conform to the new standards have also been closed down. Paul Jabo, the Executive Secretary of the province, told The New Times yesterday that Karongi district was one of the priority areas whose economic potential and sanitation standards the province seeks to significantly improve. He explained that a master plan had also been developed for the districts of Rusizi and Rubavu, and that implementation had just started in Karongi. “The implementation of the proposed master plans for the three districts has just started in Karongi and is ongoing elsewhere. Many houses that do not conform to the new standards have been demolished in Rubavu and Rusizi because this is one of our major priority activities this financial year,” he said. However, residents expressed fears over the planned demolition of their structures that fail to meet the new standards. “We were not informed in advance about these measures. It has come as a surprise to most of us and this is unacceptable,” Eliphaz Ndikubwayo, a trader at Kibuye market complained. Ends