The Prime Minister, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, proceeded, on Monday in Souillac, with the laying of foundation stone for the new Administrative Building (Headquarters) of the District Council of Savanne.
The new Administrative Building, which will cover a surface area of 2,255 m2, will be funded to the tune of some Rs 70 million. It will house under one roof all the facilities and services offered by the Local Authority to the inhabitants of the 17 villages under its jurisdiction. On that occasion, a mini–Soccer Pitch for the inhabitants of Souillac was also inaugurated by the Prime Minister.
In his address, Mr Jugnauth rejoiced that the district of Savanne, which is the second largest district in Mauritius with 80,000 inhabitants, will now have its own Headquarters. The new Building, he underlined, will be designed with a modern and green infrastructure with all necessary amenities for the region of Savanne to ensure an efficient service delivery for residents. He added that this new facility will enhance the working conditions of Officers of the District Council and will improve the Council’s operations and services.
The new Building will accommodate essential services as well as the following sections: Finance, Land use and Planning, Public Health, Welfare, Customer Service Unit and Cashier’s Office. It will also house Administrative Departments, the Chairperson’s Office, and a modern and sophisticated Council Chamber.
They include: construction of drains to the tune of Rs 500 million; construction of three incinerators at Chamouny, Grand Bois and Souillac and a fourth one in Tyack which will soon be under construction; provision of Rs 17 million for the upgrading of cemeteries; resurfacing of roads to the tune of Rs 50 million; renovation of markets at Escalier and Tyack to the tune of Rs 25 million each; construction of a market in Chemin Grenier to the tune of Rs 125 million and a Multicomplex in St Felix for Rs 75 million; a swimming pool at Tyack for Rs 125 million; and renovation of Chateau de Benares to the tune of Rs 30 million.
The health and transport sectors, he highlighted, are also experiencing unprecedented development.
For his part, the Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Local Government and Disaster Risk Management, Dr Mohammad Anwar Husnoo, underlined that the vision of Government is to bring the same facilities available in towns to the villages. He recalled that Rs 20 million is being disbursed by the Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Development for each Local Authority for the implementation of projects.
Also present, the Chairperson of the District Council of Savanne, Mr Narainsamy Seeneevassen, rejoiced that the construction of the new Administrative Building will change the look of Souillac. He recalled that some 200 projects have been implemented to the tune of Rs 450 million in the different villages. He also underlined the need for District Councils to be more energy efficient and markets to produce their own electricity.
