K1 billion released for road contractors

Thu, 05 Jan 2017 13:08:25 +0000

By TAWANDA MUNYUKI

GOVERNMENT has disbursed K1 billion to the National Road Fund Agency (NRFA) to dismantle the outstanding debts to contractors countrywide, the Agency has announced.

The Agency said the construction works on major economic roads such as Kitwe-Chingola road would commence immediately.

NRFA public relations manager Alphocious Hamacila said that contractors have already started receiving money owed to them and they have commenced works on the major roads.

Mr. Hamacila said that the money given by Government would go towards ensuring that all the companies constructing roads in different parts of the country got their money and resumed their work.

“The Government gave us a total amount of one billion kwacha to pay off the debt to all the contractors for them to commence the road works in good time and the money is being distributed to all the construction companies and as an Agency, we expect that they will be on the ground and ready to work as soon as possible,” he said.

Mr. Hamacila also added that road constructions were a huge capital investments that required a lot of resources, hence the decision to embark on national tolling program.

He said the funds being collected from the tolling program were being channeled to sustain road maintenance programs country wide.

Mr. Hamacila said that the Agency has initiated the second phase of the national tolling program and were setting up tolling stations at Shimabala, Chongwe and Chisamba respectively.

He said that tolling fees served as revenue to help in the maintenance of roads country wide.

“The money that we collect from the toll gate fees helps us in maintaining and improving the state of roads all across the country,” he said.

Mr. Hamacila said that roads were an important catalyst in the country’s economic development, hence they should be maintained at all times.