RB Launches K1 Trillion Road Works

Stanslous Ngosa And Maya Ntanda

19 May 2011

President Rupiah Banda has commissioned the K1 trillion Urban Road Rehabilitation Programme (URRP) with a directive to the Road Development Agency to ensure quality roads are constructed.

And President Banda has advised Patriotic Front (PF) leader Micheal Sata to retire after losing this year’s elections because he would be a tired man.

Mr Banda said at the commissioning ceremony in Kitwe’s Kwacha Township at Mitanto grounds that the Urban Road Rehabilitation Programme was targeting 500 km of tarmac and gravel roads and was estimated to cost about K1 trillion.

He said under the Public Private Partnership, Mopani Copper Mine had made available US$10 million (K50 billion) for the rehabilitation of Chibuluma, Sabina-Mufulira and Sabina-Kalulushi roads.

The Government in its annual work plan for 2011 had provided K20billion for the maintenance of the same roads.

President Banda said rehabilitation works were expected to start immediately.Mr Banda said Government alone could not address all people’s aspirations and needed the assistance of stakeholders like Mopani Copper Mine.

He said the Government through RDA advertised for the procurement of consultancy services to carry out a detailed feasibility study of the Mufulira-Ndola Road and Mufulira Sabina Road.

“We expect a consultant to be appointed by the end of June this year and further that full rehabilitation works on the roads will be included in the roads annual work plan for 2011,” Mr Banda said.

The president said the Government intends to upgrade all the main trunk roads including urban and feeder roads.The rehabilitation of the roads were not a random exercise but a planned programme which is on the Government calendar.

President Banda said the selection of roads to be worked on was based on factors such as bus routes, centres for social amenities like markets and police stations and civic and commercial centres.

The president said the rehabilitation of the roads would alleviate hardships faced by road users due to the poor state of the roads.

Mr Banda said while Government through the Road Development Agency (RDA) had embarked on major rehabilitation and upgrading o fmain and trunk roads countrywide, urban roads had so far not received the same urgent attention mainly due to limited funding.

The president expressed happiness that Government had now secured funding to rehabilitate selected urban roads in Lusaka, Kafue,Kapiri-Mposhi, Kabwe and the Copperbelt.

Mr Banda said seven urban towns on the Copperbelt would benefit from the programme and named the towns as Ndola, Luanshya, Kitwe, Mufulira,Chingola, Kalulushi and Chililabombwe.

The president directed contractors and consultants awarded the contracts to perform according to the specific standards, quality and timeliness to avoid repeating the works which proved to be costly.

“Failing to meet the standards will simply not be accepted, the supervising and implementing agency, RDA, must ensure that good roads are constructed and that Government and the road users get the value for their money,” Mr Banda said.

He said people should not be deceived that the MMDGovernment was rehabilitating the roads because of this year’s elections but for the citizenry.

He said elections were about the performance of a party in Government.Elections should not be based on tribal lines or relations but based on the performance.

People world over went to elections so that leaders were judged according to their performance.

The president pledged to continue working hard for the people because they were his masters.

He wondered what change the opposition especially Mr Sata were looking for when he had been in the MMD Government longer than him.

“They are saying I brought poverty when I have only served for three years and they have served for more than 10 years in the Government,”Mr Banda said.

He said he would be proud to leave office with his head high because he would have transformed the country.

There was need to make visitors appreciate development when they come to Zambia which they had already started doing.

President Banda commended a man he only identified as Lawrence who sent him an email asking that he works on Chamboli Road which leads to the cemetery saying sharing this spirit should be encouraged unlike insulting him when they wanted him to do something.

He said Mr Sata should consider retiring after the election and rest because losing four times would be unbearable.

Works and Supply Minister Gabriel Namulambe said the president would commission the rehabilitation of the roads in Northern Province.

Mines Minister Maxwell Mwale, Information Minister RonnieShikapwasha, Gladys Lundwe for Lands and other Government and MMD officials attended the ceremony.

At the same ceremony, a well wisher donated 50 bicycles to the president while Kwacha MMD gave him a goat.

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