The Anglican Diocese of the Upper Shire (UDUS) has expressed a concern over increased number of people who are encroaching the church’s land meant for its infrastructural development.

Head of the diocese, Bishop Brighton Vita Malasa told YFM in an interview that the tendency is greatly affecting the operations of the church and all its subsidiaries.

Bishop Malasa said so far, the church has used legally accepted approaches to re-claim the land which is earmarked for extending its development plan.

He therefore called on all the chiefs around the encroached land to talk to their subjects so that they surrender the land back to the church.

In a separate interview with YFM, one of the concerned, Senior Chief Malemia of Zomba blamed the church for letting people stay in the land it claimed to be theirs for more than 20 years, a development which brings resistance to the people to surrender the land.