The Ga South Municipal Assembly on Thursday began its first Assembly Meeting in Accra, with an approval of its 2008 supplementary budget to enable the Assembly to kick-start projects. With a budgetary allocation of GH¢1,766, 000 from the District Assemblies Common Fund, the newly created municipality’s would see facilities and other social infrastructure needed for its upgrading. The Ga South municipality was split from the then Ga West District Assembly, as a result of increasing population in the area to provide it a facelift. Presenting the budget, Mr. Patrick Nyonator, Municipal Budgetary Officer, said the 37.13 per cent of the budget would be injected into economic projects, 24.59 in social, 26.29 in administration, 7.84 per cent in environment and 4.14 reserved for contingency. He said the municipal would upgrade the Anyaah market, procure low voltage poles for an electrification project, establish an education fund to support needy but brilliant students and construct a three unit classroom block for the Anyaah D/A Primary School and the Domeabra community as well. On health, Mr Nyonor stated that allocations have been also made for immunization, District Roll Back Malaria Programme and a Response Initiative on HIV/AIDS. The Municipal, he said, would also begin the construction of an office complex estimated at 450,000 Ghana cedis as well as the construction of a police post at New Gbawe to beef up security in the area. Mr. Stephen Owusu—Afriyie, Municipal Chief Executive, said although the budgetary allocation was inadequate, the Assembly hoped to mobilize more internal resources to provide the needed infrastructure development for the area. He said as a result of scarcity of resources, the municipal had decided to concentrate on providing urgent projects with the little allocation available. The MCE also expressed worry about poor security in the area as a result of land litigation and chieftaincy disputes, saying this remained a major challenge to the municipality. As a result of these conflicts, Mr. Owusu-Afriyie said the District security committee had spent substantive time and resources dealing with such threats at Oblogo, Oshiyie and other places. He said it had taken efforts by the Police, Bureau of National Investigation (BNI) and the Assembly to resolve some of the conflicts amicably, adding that it was unfortunate that some other conflicts resulted in violence and fatalities. He therefore called on all residents and Assembly members to help eradicate such conflicts in their communities in order not to mar efforts to achieve socioeconomic progress. Source: GNA