People want speedy construction of bridges

People around Ngisi and Ngana in Senior Chief Mwakaboko in Karonga District have appealed to authorities to speed up construction of Chikangaya and Lukyala bridges on the Songwe Border-Ngisi-Ngana Road.

The appeal comes at a time when the five-month construction works which began on December 7 2022 have resumed after stalling last year.

In an interview on Tuesday after a media tour of the project that the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) of Karonga Diocese organised, Mwakaboko Area Development Committee chairperson George Chitete said the delay has affected the socio-economic livelihood of the area.

“As it is, an ambulance cannot reach Ngana Health Centre and small-scale farmers cannot take their produce to markets,” he said.

Ngana Health Centre health surveillance assistant Hopkins Mtambo said they fail to administer door-to-door health services such as immunisation when the river is full.

However, the projects site supervisor Samuel Mlongoti said the works will be completed soon.

In a separate interview, Roads Authority spokesperson Portia Kajanga said all the three decks on the 30-metre long Chikangaya Bridge have been cast.

“As for Lukyala Bridge, the sub-structures have been constructed and the contractor is mobilising resources for casting the deck,” she said.

CCJP acting desk officer Obert Mkandawire also urged the Roads Authority to finish the construction before the rainy season.

With support from the Norwegian Church Aid and DanChurch Aid, CCJP is implementing Fighting Inequalities Project in the district.