Freetown — Port Loko town council chairman Wednesday told Concord Times that some of the main challenges he was faced with include the provision of electricity and pipe borne water for all major towns in the locality.

Ahmid Fofanah said he has engaged the ministry of lands to help develop the township's housing structure, adding that the project would discourage some members of the public from building houses indiscriminately.

He said the district has four semi-urban towns Lunsar, Port Loko, Masiaka and Lungi which he intends to showcase after years of war and political instability.

"If the district headquarter town lacks basic facilities there is nothing home to write about," he said.

Fofanah added: "The road network in the district is a problem thus accessing other villages is frightening. Traveling outside the headquarter town is really a big problem," he said.

He said with the completion of the two highways - Masiaka/Mile 91 and Port Loko/Pamalap these settlements would attract an increase in population.

Fofanah said his council has set up viable ward committees to commence work.

"I have set up the ministries, departments and agencies coordinating unit within the council in order for non governmental organizations not to duplicate resources. The unit meets monthly to evaluate the work of NGOs and community based organizations," he said.

On the issue of resource mobilization, he said, the council has put in place robust mechanism to collect taxes and other rates in the district.

"The council has started a sensitization drive to educate the people on the benefits they will derive from paying taxes and how the council will be developed to catch up with other districts. The past council failed to embark on tax collection in the district," Fofanah said.

He said they inherited a district development plan from the previous council presented by the chiefdom administrator and that they were looking at it.