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Contractor forced back to site, to bear the cost

Lilongwe City Council (LCC) has asked Plem Construction, a contractor of some city roads, to re-do the rehabilitation of some roads following government’s displeasure with the quality of the works.

In the 2016/17 financial year ending this June 30, LCC set aside K2.175 billion for the rehabilitation of some roads in the city.

Chafunya: We have not finished paying

However, Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development observed that the job done on some of the roads was shoddy.

In April, in a letter to the then LCC chief executive officer Moza Zeleza, Principal Secretary for Local Government and Rural Development Kinswell Dakamau observed that the work, for two roads being constructed by Plem Construction from NCIC to ZBS via Ngwenya Trading Centre and from Biwi across Chidzanja Road to Area 23 via Chipasula, was not good and that it generated a great public outcry.

LCC spokesperson Tamara Chafunya said in an interview that following the ministry’s recommendation, the contractor was asked back on site to remedy the situation.

She, however, said there was no new agreement on the reconstruction of the road as the contractor was not paid because the certificate for the road was not issued yet.

“We have not finished paying the contractor and we only pay the contractor the remaining part until the roads are certified,” said Chafunya.

Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development spokesperson Muhlabase Mughogho said the contractors were asked to re-do the work at their own cost because the first phase of the council road project were characterised with poor work.

She added that councils were also to blame for poor workmanship on some road projects as they wanted more kilometres than what was budgeted to be rehabilitated.

In the letter to LCC, Dakamau also observed that in the 2015/16 financial year Plem Construction had a number of road failures.

But director of Plem Construction, Mohan Khrishna, said the matter was totally resolved.

Recently, President Peter Mutharika expressed concern over the poor workmanship of most road projects in the country’s four cities. He accused councils of corruptly awarding contracts. n

 

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