Shinyanga — GOVERNMENT will spend 22.95bn/- in this financial year to electrify villages in Shinyanga Region. Minister for Energy and Minerals, Prof Sospeter Mhongo said this on Friday, adding that already an engineer was on site and preliminary work had started.
“Government is now serious on ensuring that villagers have access to electricity and we have no time for propaganda,” he said. Prof Muhongo was speaking at a public rally held in Shycom grounds in Shinyanga town to conclude a four day tour of the Chama cha Mapinduzi (CCM) Secretary General, Mr Abdulrahman Kinana in Shinyanga Region.
“We have plans to connect electricity to 60,000 villagers in Mwanza, 35,000 in Kagera, 22,000 in Mara, 32,000 in Shinyanga, 37,000 in Tabora and 18,000 in Kigoma,” he said. As Prof Muhongo named the villages the crowd jubilated.
He reiterated that the government will revoke mining licences of big scale miners who have hoarded bigger mining plots. “We are planning to put in place enabling environment for small scale miners and we will soon spend 80m/- in giving mining machines to small scale miners. More support will be given,” he said.
During the tour in various areas in the region, Mr Kinana found that the lack of water and electricity as major problems. Villagers will benefit from the phase two of the Lake Victoria water project while electricity would be supplied through Rural Electrification Agency (REA). CCM Secretary of Ideology and Publicity, Mr Nape Nnauye said that the tour of Shinyanga Region has been of great importance.
“We have had so many constructive activities aiming at changing people’s lives, so many projects have been launched and this is a lesson to opposition that politics is not all about uttering abusive words to other political parties,” he said.
Mr Nape urged region residents to shun opposition politics which were focusing on breaking the unity and peace that has been enjoyed for so many years in the country,” he said.
