Gombe state government has suspended new buildings in Gombe New Government Reservation Area (GRA) to halt the creation of unplanned neighbourhood in the zone.
This was announced by Mr Julius Ishaya, the state Commissioner for Information, on Tuesday in Gombe.
Ishaya, made the announcement on behalf of Dr Manasseh Jatau, the Deputy Governor and Chairman, Task Force on State Capital Development Zone, after their meeting with residents of the area.
Ishaya said the move became necessary to ensure that the zone did not suffer the handicaps of an unplanned area.
The Taskforce on State Capital Development Zone was inaugurated to guide, direct and control physical development within the zone, as well as monitor and ensure compliance with its development guidelines.
Ishaya said that the area was acquired by individuals with customary title deeds who went on to start erecting buildings when the area had not been laid out by government for proper development.
Following the new policy for the special development zone, Ishaya said the Taskforce is in the process of integrating and incorporating the customary title deeds ownership into requirements for government layouts.
“The area is now in the centre of the city, hence the need to have layouts and that begins with taking census of the structures in the area; all forms of new construction should be suspended immediately,” he said.
He called on the residents of the area, not to panic as the government was not there to take anybody’s land, but to add value to what they had, through giving them the necessary requirements layouts should have.
He said the layouts were important because they gave residents access to roads and other social amenities, and also granted residents new titles deeds that would serve as collateral in future.
Shuaibu Gidado, who represented the residents, said the community had agreed to the demand that they should stop construction pending the time government would plan and mark out the area.
He said the directive was appropriate and aimed at avoiding a situation where there would be no proper layout when streets were to be constructed.
