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NCIC stops K2.5 billion M’mbelwa Council office

The National Construction Industry Council (NCIC) has stopped construction of K2.5 billion Mmbelwa District Council office complex for allegedly violating some provisions of the National Construction Industry Act.

NCIC corporate affairs officer Lyfod Gideon confirmed yesterday that the council had stopped construction of the office complex because the project did not have a superviser registered with NCIC.

Chirwa: No progress

He said this is against Section 20 (1) of the National Construction Industry Act which states that no one can undertake supervisory work if not registered by NCIC.

Gideon said government was using the Department of Buildings to supervise its own work which is not acceptable. He said construction would only resume if government identified an independent consultant to supervise the work.

“The issue of infrastructure is sensitive because we are talking about lives of people. We want to make sure people doing the work know their job,” Gideon said.

Mzimba district commissioner Thomas Chirwa confirmed that NCIC had issued a notice stopping construction of the four-storey building, which was moving at snail’s pace.

He said government only released K800 million of the K2.5 billion.

“We are waiting to discuss what was the problem. However, there hasn’t been progress. The project was supposed to take 18 months but it is still at foundation,” he said. The project started in January 2018 and was supposed to be completed in June 2019.

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