Government has terminated a contract with a Chinese company Geo Engineering, saying the contractor abandoned the 20 kilometre road project in Neno district three years ago.
Briefing stakeholders in the district on Tuesday, Board Chairperson for Roads Authority, Matilda Matabwa said the termination has come due to the contractor’s idleness on the project for a period of three years.
“The contractor was doing nothing on the ground and this was resulting to government wasting money. Other contractors who were given similar projects have completed their work. As government, we are currently in the process of identifying a new contractor,” said Matabwa.
Matabwa said the authority will be doing periodical maintenances on the road to ease people’s travelling difficulties.
In his remarks, Chairperson for Civil Society Organization Network in Neno, Samson Njolomole faulted Roads Authority for not setting targets to the contractor for the years he has been on site.
“If Roads Authority was monitoring this exercise, these challenges would have been noted and sorted out way back. It’s too late now. People of Neno have suffered a blow during this waiting period, especially as the rainy season is approaching,” said Njolomole.
Concurring with Njolomole, Traditional Authority Mlauli described the situation as a sad one, saying people of Neno have been deprived of a good road network for a long time.
From the year 2020, the contractor had been demanding price adjustments and extension of contract, which government declined.
Reported by Salome Gangire
