Engage consultants before contractors, RDA advised

Engage consultants before contractors, RDA advised

Kasama, Jun 8/13 ZANIS—–Deputy  Minister  of Transport, Works   and Supply,  Mwimba Malama, has  implored the Road Development Agency  (RDA)  to desist  from   the trend  of awarding contracts to  contractors before the consultants  are engaged.

Mr Malama wondered why engineers under RDA do not deal with the matter of consultants first as the issue delays works.

He said this at Lukupa Bridge in Kasama when he met Sable Constructions Company today.

Mr Malama observed that the issue of engaging consultants later after awarding the contract delays works even for as long as six months, the move he said must come to an end.

He told RDA Northern Acting Regional Engineer, Alfred Munyimba that it was vital to ensure that consultants do their works in good time.

This came light when   Rankin Consultants Resident Engineer, Sikder selimuzzaman, revealed that construction of a wide bridge at Lukupa and Luombe Rivers was not included on the initial contract.

Mr selimuzzaman said in the actual contract of the 151 km Kasama – Mporokoso Road  three bridges were not included, hence leaving them in their narrow state.

And motorists who were  passing  during the Deputy minister’s  visit appealed to the Government  to urgently  address the issue of broadening the bridge which has a capacity to  allow only one vehicle  crossing at a  time.

They said as the road has been tarred, traffic has also increased and giving chance to other cars to cross results in congesting the bridge.

Government has reduced the contract of Sable Construction Company from 151 Km to 76 Km of tarring the Kasama – Mporokoso Road. 

The Deputy Minister of Transport, Works and Supply is on a marathon tour of infrastructural inspection in both Muchinga and Northern Provinces.