Eastern Province to demolish illegal structures

Rwamagana – All unauthorised buildings in Eastern Province districts will be demolished, authorities have warned.This was disclosed Friday by the Governor of the province, Odette Uwamariya, while addressing visiting National Technical Committee on Housing.Recently, it was established that hundreds of houses were built without approval of authorities concerned. “This should be the last directive I am giving…go as a team and demolish any illegally constructed house. This exercise shouldn’t be guided by sentiments as some of you showed,” said Uwamariya.Augustine Kampayana, the head of rural settlement program, warned grassroots leaders responsible for the poor housing that they should improve their performance, otherwise disciplinary action would be taken.He said that people living in disaster prone areas should be relocated within shortest possible time and should be served notices to vacate the buildings before the rains begin. “Local leaders are to blame…this is no secret, some of them are corrupt and inefficient. A house cannot be constructed from foundation to completion without the knowledge of leaders,” he said.Meanwhile, the national technical committee on housing commended the province, for taking a lead in the country in setting up organized settlements.