Govt to get tough on road contractors—Nankhumwa

Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Kondwani Nankhumwa says he is satisfied with progress on the Biwi, Chipasula-Area 23 and the NCICArea 24 Road in Lilongwe, but warned construction companies against substandard work in projects funded by taxpayers’ money.

The minister was speaking after touring some projects government is undertaking in Lilongwe on Friday.

Said Nankhumwa: “Any shoddy work on any project sponsored by government is a concern to the government because we are dealing with money from taxpayers and we have to be accountable to the source of the money.”

His sentiments come hot on the heels of reports that some construction companies awarded contracts to bituminise roads in some of the country’s townships are doing substandard work.

Engineer and chairperson for Plem Construction, the company building the Biwi-Chipasula -Area 23 Road, which the minister inspected, Mohan Krishnan explained in a separate interview that they initially faced some challenges during the first phase of the project, which they have since rectified.

“We were constructing these roads during rainy season and there were some wash-aways here and there. We have spent about K150 million to put a new surface and the drainage system because we share with the government’s concerns,’ said Krishnan.

Lilongwe City Council (LCC) mayor Desmond Bikoko commended the contractor for working on the shortfalls, saying the city’s image of the city was at stake.

“People were complaining. Now that the contractor has reworked the shortfalls, it brings relief to us,” said Bikoko.

LCC received K2.5 billion to improve roads in areas that were hard to reach especially during rainy seasons.