Nakonde one-stop border project delights parliamentary committee

Nakonde one-stop border project delights parliamentary committee
By Ketty Zulu in Nakonde
Tue 18 May 2010, 03:30 CAT

The parliamentary committee on budget estimates has expressed happiness over the construction works so far done at the K30.1 billion Nakonde one-stop border project in Northern Province.

Speaking in Nakonde shortly after inspecting the construction works, chairperson for the committee Highvie Hamududu said the committee was impressed with the works done so far.

Hamududu expressed concern over the erratic funding to the project and government’s intentions to suspend the project until next year.

He said the government should find some money to finish the project instead of suspending it, adding that the project once completed would boost revenue collection.

“A lot of money in billions of kwacha is collected at Nakonde border monthly and so suspending the project will not be in the interest of the public who have been inconvenienced and want this project to be completed soon,” said Hamududu.

And revenue collection has increased by over 100 per cent at the Road Traffic and Safety Agency RTSA at Nakonde border following the introduction of new security features on the official receipts.
RTSA executive director Frederick Mwalusaka disclosed this in Nakonde when Hamududu visited the department.

Mwalusaka said the new features on the official receipts made it difficult for some unscrupulous people to forge the receipts.

And Hamududu said the agency at Nakonde was now collecting over K170 billion annually compared to less than K50 billion in 2006 before the new features were introduced.