Maravi

Mulongoti blames poor roads on sugar, copper ore traffic

Mulongoti blames poor roads on sugar, copper ore traffic
Written by Moses Kuwema in Mpulungu
Sunday, April 05, 2009 7:49:47 PM

WORKS and supply minister Mike Mulongoti has attributed the poor road network in most towns in Luapula and Northern provinces to the heavy traffic of copper ore and sugar. Mulongoti said this after he wraped up his tour of road projects in Luapula and Northern provinces.

He said in some instances, the roads had been damaged because of the rains. Mulongoti said he was aware of some transporters who transported copper ore from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) without paying any levy.

"In Luapula Province, the roads are bad because of the transportation of copper ore and also the rains, there has been wear and tear. But for the Kasama-Mpulungu road, it is because of the transportation of sugar to the Great Lakes Region," Mulongoti said.

"People who transport heavy cargo should be paying for the damage they are causing to the roads, that way there will be no wear and tear."

Mulongoti said a lot needed to be done on the Kasama-Mpulungu road, adding that the Ministry of Works and Supply would make recommedations for funding.

He called on the local authorities in the country to be proactive in interventions especially on feeder and townships roads.

Mulongoti also called on the National Road Fund Agency (NRFA) to exercise some flexibility in funding various projects.

Mulongoti directed Raubex construction company, the contractor working on the Kasama-Mpulungu road, to start their works from Mpulungu.

He said this would help to boost people's morale in the area because there was a lot of traffic to and from Mpulungu.

Mulongoti said the heavy traffic was as a result of transportation of various goods to the Great Lakes Region and that there was need for a railway line to support the road.

And Mpulungu district commissioner Willie Simfukwe said since the programme to expand the port was initiated in 2002, there had been major rehabilitation works.

He said the port had the capacity to store terminal fuel and that the completion of the road would to help put Mpulungu on the world map.

Simfukwe said currently, the port stores 130,000 litres of fuel and only 65,000 litres was consumed, while the rest caters for government.

Among the roads Mulongoti toured include the Serenje-Samfya junction, Mansa-Nchelenge, Kashikishi-Luchinda, Mununga-Nkoshya-Kaputa, Mansa-Luwingu-Kasama, Kasama-Mbala and Mbala-Nakonde.

Labels: MIKE MULONGOTI, NRFA, ROADS

posted by MrK @ 6:50 PM