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The construction works for the KR 371 million, 84 km stretch of the Chama – Matumbo Road linking Northern, Muchinga and Eastern provinces is making progress.
The works under lot 2 of the Chama / Matumbo Road project stretching from Muyombe junction passing through the boma to Luangwa Bridge are part of the 8,000 km Link Zambia Project under the Road Development Agency (RDA) being undertaken by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation(CCECC).
China Jiangxi Limited has been engaged to do lot 1 of the project at a cost of over KR 399 million stretching from Matumbo junction to Lungwa River covering a total distance of 115 km.
The scope of works for the two road projects will include upgrading of the road from gravel to bituminous.
Muchinga province Minister Gerry Chanda inspected the works yesterday during his familiarization tour of Chama district.
Col. Chanda said he is happy that the works are taking shape adding that with the rain season almost over, government expects more progress on the road construction.
Col. Chanda who was accompanied by Chama District Commissioner Josephat Lombe, Council Secretary Japhet Sinkamba and other district heads of departments, said the government is committed to ensure that the road project is completed on time.
The provincial minister also appealed to the contractor to ensure that a good job is done adding that both the government and members of the public expect nothing but a good product from the contractor.
Col. Chanda further said he is happy that the contractor with a total of 120 workers is meeting the required minimum wage.
The minister is however, expressed disappointed that it is taking long for RDA to engage a contractor to work on the bridge across Luangwa River.
Col. Chanda said a contractor to do the bridge across Lunagwa River should be engaged quickly so that even before the road construction works are completed, motorists should be able to use the road.
“We need a bridge across Luangwa River. In fact, we should have started with a bridge so that as the road construction works progresses, motorists should have been using this route to go to Chinsali and from Chinsali to Chama,“ said Col. Chanda.
But Resident Engineer for East Consult, the consultant for the lot 2 of the Chama – Matumbo Road project Michael Banda said plans to engage a contractor to erect a bridge across Luangwa River, have advanced.
Mr Banda said the contractor will soon be moving on site to commence the works.
Mr Banda also told the minister that the contractor is set to finish the project in record time and hand it over to the government.
He said that a lot of works have been done from the time the rains stopped in the area adding that very little works were done during the rainy season.
Meanwhile, Chama district in Muchinga Province has procured two sets of earth moving machines at a cost of KR10, 000 using the Constituency Development Fund (CDF).
Chama District Commissioner Josephat Lombe disclosed this in Chama yesterday when Muchinga Province Minister Col. Gerry Chanda paid a curtsey call on him at his office.
Mr Lombe said a part payment of KR 7,540 has been paid adding that a balance of KR2, 460 will be paid once the machinery arrives in the district.
The District Commissioner said the equipment has already been loaded on the ship from the
United Kingdom (UK) and is expected to arrive in the district by the end of this month.
Mr Lombe said the machinery will be shared between the two constituencies of Chama North and Chama South.
Mr Lombe said the equipment will be used for the construction of feeder roads in the district.
He added that another set of earth moving machines will be procured using the 2013/2014 CDF funds for the two constituencies as soon as the last payment is paid.
Mr Lombe said that most of the feeder roads in the district especially in Chama North Constituency are in bad state and the procurement of these earth machines will go a long way in making most of these roads passable and easy the transportation of farm inputs and produce.
