Authority gets tough on Songwe road works
Roads Authority (RA) has ordered the Karonga-Songwe Road contractor to remain on site for three years to fix defects.
The authorities often give contractors a year to correct flaws.
However, Zhejiang Communication Construction Company (ZCCC), from China, has an extended period to close potholes that emerged before President Mutharika officially opened the road in March last year.
In an interview, RA chief executive officer Emanuel Matapa confirmed that RA has extended the contractor’s liability period to ensure that all challenges are addressed.
“The RA does not want to take any chances and we want the road to be up to standard,” he said, adding ZCCC will bear the costs for all maintenance works even though it is likely to affect its profit.
Matapa said government wants construction firms to adhere to contracts, so it has withheld five percent of the contract sum to ensure ZCCC is on the ground.
Normally, RA withholds 2.5 percent of the contract total cost until the expiry of the liability period.
However, Matapa said the new road is the strongest in the country and the potholes have been fixed.
“Government just wants to make sure that there are no such faults again,” he said.
During the construction of the road, Paramount Chief Kyungu expressed reservation with the durability of the road.
The contractor’s equipment is still on site almost a year after the launch.
North Civil Works managing director Emmanuel Silungwe, whose company was subcontracted to do bus bays on the road, said people in the district are still sceptical about the durability of the road.
