JK: Say no to shoddy roads

nngu007 · 2011-05-31T15:46:27+00:00

By In2EastAfrica - Tue May 31, 2:27 pm 11,000 kilometres of road network across the country will be tarmacked before 2015 President Jakaya Kikwete has directed the Tanzania National Roads Agency (Tanroads) to reject any road built below standard by contractors. The president issued the order yesterday when opening the newly-constructed 90-kilometre Usagara-Geita road in Misungwi District, Mwanza Region. He said the road project was fully funded by Tanzanian taxpayers' money to the tune of over 78.7bn/-. "We need donor support in implementing various development projects, but we have managed to construct this road using our own money," he said. He said despite the presence of supervising teams on the job, national roads were still far below acceptable quality. "Where are they (during construction)?" he asked, adding: "Why couldn't they have directed the contractors to stop the project (if) it was of such low standard?" He urged Tanroads supervisors to do their job by ensuring that the agency only accepted projects that exceed established quality standards. The president called on Tanroads to take good care of newly constructed roads. Regarding weighbridges, Kikwete warned officials to refrain from taking bribes and to stop allowing vehicles that exceeding the maximum weight to drive on fragile roads. "You find a road has a tiny pothole, but the Tanroads manager just drives by… and so do the DC and the president," said Kikwete adding: "We wait until it becomes a massive hole. Why not repair it earlier?" he asked. The president also called on the authorities to revoke driving licences of drivers causing accidents. Speaking earlier, Works minister John Magufuli said that contractors would be obliged to monitor the condition of a road for up to three years after they had completed its construction. He added that during this period, if the road was damaged in any way, it would be up to the contractor to carry out repairs at their own cost. He revealed that of the 7,000 contractors registered in Tanzania, 2,009 had their licences revoked for failing to complete assigned projects. He insisted that the government would not be lenient on those who fail to complete projects. Meanwhile, Transport minister Omar Nundu has said that minimal funding, delays in public tendering processes, especially in donor-sponsored projects, and the incompetence of private-sector contractors were to blame for persistent delays in implementing transport and infrastructural projects. He said this in Dar es Salaam yesterday when presenting his ministry's progress report for fiscal year 2010/11 to the parliamentary committee on Infrastructure. Transport had only received 48bn/- by March, this year, against a budget of 160bn/- in the 2010/11 period, according to the minister's report to the Infrastructure committee. During this period, Nundu said, the ministry had expected a budgetary allocation of 95bn/- from internal sources, including the government, but only received 45bn/-. Of the 65bn/- expected from external sources, including donors, Transport only got 2bn/-, a paltry five per cent of the allocation, according to Nundu. Special Seats MP Regina Mtema said that limited budget was no excuse. "Government institutions need to have clear priorities. Eliminate unnecessary spending," she said. Peter Serukamba, Infrastructure committee chairman and MP for Kigoma Urban, said his committee wanted the government to allocate more funds to infrastructural projects. He said his committee had resolved not to approve the Transport ministry budget for 2011/12 if the government didn't commit more money to rail, marine and air transport. By Victor Amani, The Guardian

Thread starter nngu007
Start date May 31, 2011

nngu007

JF-Expert Member

May 31, 2011

Mulhat Mpunga

JF-Expert Member

May 31, 2011

tz1

JamiiForums uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.

Accept Learn more…

Back

Top Bottom

Forums

New posts