Accra, June 24, GNA - The Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, on Wednesday asked people who are aggrieved over the dismissal of 30 caterers of the School Feeding Programme in the Ashanti region to seek redress in court.

Mr Joseph Yieleh Chireh, who was answering questions in Parliament over the issue said in order to ensure transparency and strengthen the management and operations of the programme, the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) have been tasked to regularise the appointments of the caterers who were formally engaged without contract letters.

"This called for all caterers within the programme to re-apply for the supply of catering services," he explained.

"In the Ashanti Region in particular, 30 of the caterers refused to re-apply and therefore could not continue to work for the programme." The ownership of the programme Mr Chireh said, "lies with the MMDAs and that they have the prerogative of working with anyone they dim fit". He said they could in this regard hire and fire caterers without recourse to his sector ministry.

Touching on a refuse damp that is posing health problems to the Bere kum Municipality the Minister said a new dumping site had been acquired to reverse the situation.

He said the Municipal Assembly had contracted Zoomlion Ghana Limited to come out with a comprehensive quantity survey on how to dislodge the refu se. He said a survey revealed that the land coverage for the dump was ab out 12 acres with an economic value of GH¢3,000,000.

When the Minister was asked when Suhum-Kraboa-Coaltar District would be elevated to a full district status, he said it would depend on the impending census that would be conducted by the Ghana Statistical Service this year .. "This will inform the government in the creation and realignment of districts."