The Blantyre City Council has blamed post-election protests for the delay of the dual carriageway project from Clock Tower to Kameza Roundabout in Blantyre which was expected to be completed in March this year.
Blantyre City Council deputy director of engineering services Sekani Gondwe told President Peter Mutharika on Thursday that the protests which the Human Rights Defenders Coalition (HRDC) has been conducting following the May 21 elections have affected progress of the project.
According to Gondwe, the project which started in April last year was expected to be completed in March this year but due to delays it will now be completed in October.
“The contractor on several occasions demobilized machinery and workers on conditions of safety and security,” he said.
Gondwe added that a major water pipe coming from the Walker’s Ferry which runs along the dual carriageway to supply water to the whole of Blantyre has also posed a challenge to the contractor.
“During construction it was a bit of a challenge to avoid disturbing the pipeline because it would have affected the water supply within Blantyre,” he said.
According to Gondwe, the contractor will also install a K6.5 billion overpass at Chirimba Railway level crossing which will take 12 months but most of the work will be done off-site.
Speaking on the demonstrations, Mutharika said the protests are derailing developments efforts in the country.
“I am asking that the protests should stop because they are destroying the country,” Mutharika.
He also commended the contractor for the good work and expressed hope that the project will completed soon.
The road was supposed to be finished in May but has been delayed because of protests happening in July and August. i need to be educated on which month comes first in the calendar between July and March.