(LUSAKATIMES) Inadequate funds cited as reason for uncompleted roads

COMMENT - And why isn't there money? Because the mines are not taxed. And who degrades roads the most? The mines.

Inadequate funds cited as reason for uncompleted roads
Monday, June 21, 2010, 21:57

The Road Development Agency (RDA) says most of the works on the roads have not been completed because of inadequate resource allocation to the agency. RDA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Erasmus Chilundika said this when he appeared before the Parliamentary Accounts Committee (PAC) today.

Mr. Chilundika told the committee that the agency faces problems with funding saying the allocation towards the construction of roads and bridges in the country required more money which he said has hindered the agency from completing the works on most roads.

He said even the National Roads Fund Agency (NRFA) most of the times failed to fund the construction of roads if the money required was huge. He said some roads and bridges that were not in the RDA work plan were worked on due to the public outcry and called for supplementary funding. He however said that the agency would ensure that roads that have remained uncompleted for sometime were worked on before the end of next year.

He disclosed that the Choma-Namwala road will be completed by the end of this year while the Kasama- Luwingu road would be worked on as well. During the same sitting, Works and Supply Permanent Secretary Watson Ng’ambi said his ministry is committed to ensuring that the agency worked on all the roads in the country where contractors abandoned work before finishing.

He said contractors who have failed to do quality work on the roads would be reported to the NCC to ensure that they are disciplined and that money paid to them would be recovered.

Earlier, Nkana Member of Parliament Mwenya Musenge who is the member of PAC said RDA only carried out road rehabilitation and construction where there was a by election leaving major roads such as the Kasama-Luwingu road which had remained uncompleted for over 10 years.

Mr. Musenge said the agency was not prudent in utilising public resources allocated to them saying it was untrue that the agency had no funds to work on the roads.

But PAC Chairperson Emmanuel Hachipuka urged Mr. Musenge and the committee to leave the by elections out of the deliberations. The chairperson also urged RDA to cooperate with the officers from the Auditor General whenever they visited them to verify reports and said they should ensure that all irregularities were corrected to avoid appearing several times before the PAC.

Meanwhile, the Permanent Secretary said his offices will always be open to receive the officers from the Auditor General adding that they would ensure that measures were taken to correct the errors.

ZANIS