Maravi

Hasty engagement of contractors for Senanga-Katima road raises eyebrows

Hasty engagement of contractors for Senanga-Katima road raises eyebrows
By Mwala Kalaluka
Mon 24 May 2010, 04:01 CAT

THE government’s hasty engagement of three Chinese contractors to undertake a three-lot rehabilitation of the highly deplorable Senanga-Katima Mulilo road at a cost of about K750 billion has been questioned. But Western Province minister Sikwibele Mwapela said the decision that the government has taken on the impending road project is the right one.

Government sources told The Post yesterday that the government, through the Road Development Agency (RDA), was on the brink of signing contracts with China Geo-engineering Corporation (CGC), China Jiangxi and China New Era to carry out the road works.

“Yes, that contract is there. They (RDA) are just waiting to sign a contract. The road is divided into three lots and they did sign for consultancy and they are moving very fast and they are mobilising,” the source said. “There are three contractors waiting to sign a contract and these are China Jiangxi, CGC and another new company China New Era.”

The sources said the funds for the road works on the Senanga-Katima Mulilo Road was sourced from the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) by the government.

“For the three lots total should be around K750 billion,” the source said. “The RDA has given their estimates (for the duration of the project) as clients, as 18 months.”

The sources said this was also the project duration that the three contractors had pledged to work within as indicated on their bidding documents.

But another source expressed fear that the RDA was repeating the mistakes that had been highlighted in the recently released Auditor General report on the road sector in the way it was procuring works on the Senanga-Katima Mulilo road rehabilitation project.

“It is like they do not learn. They are going ahead to procure on the Senanga-Katima Mulilo and even the contractor is going on site but they have not concluded the designs,” the source said.

But Mwapela said the decision taken by the government was the right one because it was in a hurry to develop Western Province.

“If that is there, that will open up Western Province because as you know we have been saying that Western Province is the poorest,” Mwapela said. “The western corridor has been closed for a long time and we are happy now. Our people have been suffering in terms of transport.”

When told that there were concerns in the hasty manner the government was engaging contractors on the road project, Mwapela said the government was in a hurry to take development to the province.

“We have no time to look at this and that. The decision they have done is the right one,” said Mwapela.

Labels: CHINESE, ROADS

posted by MrK @ 2:43 PM