Blantyre City on course with ‘red star’ campaign: ‘Some buildings will need rehabilitation’
Blantyre City Council says the red star campaign is on course and that technical experts in buildings are expected to complete assessment of structures this month.
Deputy Mayor Wild Ndipo, who is chairing the Red Star Campaign main committee, told a news conference at Civic Centre, that from June 15, a taskforce of experts would be physically checking buildings in Blantyre and Limbe town centres.
Membership of the taskforce comprises Ministry of Physical Planning, Ministry of Lands, the Polytechnic, Built Environment, Malawi Institute of Engineers, Malawi Institute of Architects, Malawi Institute of Physical Planners, Surveyors Institute of Malawi, NCIC, the Council’s directorate of Town Planning, directorate of engineering and the fire section.
Said Ndipo: “As we speak, the Council has a list of buildings that need attention. But this taskforce will now go on the ground, look at these buildings both inside and outside and make recommendations for further action.”
“When we talk about red star campaign, I know colleagues from the media always ask; when are you starting to demolish buildings that are marked with a red star? You may wish to know that it is not only about demolishing buildings.
“Some of the buildings will need rehabilitation, others only painting while indeed, there will be need to pull down some structures and develop new modern buildings,” he said.
He added: “It is not the Council that will go to demolish these buildings rather, it will engage the owners to do as instructed. Those that are supposed to construct new structures will be told and given time to demolish and erect new structures. Likewise, those that are supposed to rehabilitate their buildings or paint will be told and given time frame.”
In his presentation, Director of Town Planning and Estates Services Costly Chanza said the taskforce would be in Limbe from 15 to19 June 2015 while Blantyre would be covered from 22 to 26 June 2015.
Chanza said the taskforce is expected to review existing list of buildings against the current state of affairs on the ground, status of each plot, its physical address, plot no, title, owner and or current business operator.
He also said the taskforce will physically assess each building following the devised checklist, report to the main committee on recommendations for each site further action
“The recommendations will take the form of demolish, refurbish and paint,” said Chanza
The Council has also invited all stakeholders, mainly business owners and all operators, to a meeting on Tuesday, June 8, 2015 for an interactive session on the red star campaign.
President Peter Mutharika re-launched the red star campaign on February 23, 2015 after touring Blantyre and Limbe town centres.
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