He said interference from chiefs and opinion leaders as well as influential persons in the society, in matters that clearly violates rules and regulations of the assembly, was making it difficult for the assembly to implement its developmental agenda to the latter.

Making the appeal at a well-attended town hall meeting in Koforidua, the MCE appealed to chiefs, opinion leaders and influential persons in the area to throw their weight behind them to enforce discipline “by cracking the whip where necessary”, he said.

He said building and location of containers at unauthorized places, trading and parking on pavements and streets, default in paying tolls and some levies to the assembly were some of the offences that people run to chiefs and opinion leaders to intervene.

The MCE said as much as government recognizes the role of the traditional authorities in development, they should not make things difficult for people who through their support have been given the mandate to exercise their power in line with the laid down rules and regulations for national development.

The town hall meeting, which was the second this year, was attended by people from across the various sectors including chiefs and queen mothers, civil society organizations, trade associations and groups who have the opportunity to ask questions concerning some development issues in the municipality.

Key among the issues raised at the meeting was the citing of fuel and gas stations at populated and residential areas, building on waterways, congestion at the central business district and sanitation issues.

Nana Tutu Nyantakyi Boateng, Krontiehene of the New Juaben Traditional Area and chairman of the occasion, called on the assembly to put proper systems in place to track all properties to be able to collect their property rates for developmental projects.

He also urged the assembly to be proactive in dealing with the indiscipline of building on waterways, location of fuel and gas stations at populated areas adding that they should be dealt with from the beginning and not to wait until they were operational before they cite  wrongdoing.

Nana Yaa Daani, the Queen mother of the area, blamed the town and country planning as well as the planning department of the assembly for their failure to live up to expectation adding that most of the buildings on waterways were brought to the assembly’s attention by the traditional council but they failed to act promptly.