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Mia blasts highway contractor

Transport and Public Infrastructure Minister Muhammad Sidik Mia on Tuesday blasted the Japanese contractor on Phase Two of the Masauko Chipembere Highway, accusing the firm of slow progress.

Mia accused Nippo Construction of attempting to sabotage Malawi President Bingu wa Mutharika’s vision by delaying the project.

The minister has since requested for a meeting with the Japanese Ambassador, whose country is financing the project, and all stakeholders to map the way forward.

During a site visit to the stalled project on Tuesday, Mia and his entourage learnt that Nippo and a local sub-contractor left the project site last November.

The visit also revealed that prospects of the 4.6 kilometre stretch project now lie in a Japanese boardroom after Nippo cancelled its contract with the local sub-contractor over contractual disagreements.

“What are you saying Mr. Consultant? What are you saying? Because we cannot stand this! You are causing us damage because of the problem we are having here,” said Mia, arguing that the diversion from Chichiri Roundabout to Maselema, which motorists have been using since early last year, is completely destroyed.

Said the minister: “Now you will finish this road and we will have another problem there [on the diversion stretch] similar to this one. Look at the inconvenience people have to go through in Blantyre for one year. We haven’t seen your equipment for four months. Where is your equipment?”

Blantyre City Council director of engineering Francis Namuonjeza said the project stalled in November after Nippo cancelled its contract with the local sub-contractor.

He said the two parties are now considering making some project modifications during their high level meetings in Japan.

A representative of the local sub-contractor said his company is ready to resume work on the project so long as the contract modification is finalised.

The Japanese Government in June 2010 granted Malawi 899 million Japanese Yen (about K1.6 billion) for the implementation of the second phase of the project.

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