By MUSONDA MANGILASHI –
THE Government has urged the local authority in Kitwe to prioritise roads that have high traffic volumes and economic value when selecting Township roads as it implements the C-400 and Zambia Urban road projects.
Housing and Infrastructure Minister Ronald Chitotela who toured selected roads in Kitwe yesterday said the local authority should consider industrial roads and high economical roads in the townships.
He said that the construction of C-400 and Zambia Urban Roads projects which will cater for 350 kilometers are scheduled to commence in the next three weeks.
Kitwe District has been allocated 150 kilometers, which will be worked on by China Henan and AVIC International respectively He said that the two projects that will run for three years will cost US$ 900 million.
“We have 96 kilometres, which will be worked on by China Henan and 53 kilometers will be worked on by AVIC International and the works are scheduled to commence in the next three weeks.
“My appeal to the local authority and those in charge of selecting roads is letting us give priority to roads of high economic, we are trying to transform the economic activities of Kitwe so let us consider industrial roads and roads of high economically within the townships,” he said.
He said that the C-400, Zambia urban roads and the Copperbelt International airport would create 6000 jobs for the youths on the Copperbelt.
Mr Chitotela said the Government would also consider extending Ndola-Kitwe and the Chingola dual carriage ways beyond the Edgar Changwa Lungu Mall and the Kazembe turn off respectively.
Additionally the Government would also consider amending local development act to address the issues that contractors are not abiding by the directive to subcontract 20 percent of their work to the local contractors.
This was in response to Kitwe District Commissioner Binwell Mpundu who appealed to the minister to ensure that the contractors follow this directive.
“The projects that are being implemented in Kitwe must benefit Kitwe local contractors, we are not going to have subcontractors from another district to work in other District each district has to have subcontractors from that same district,” he said.
The Minister was accompanied by Copperbelt Minister Japhan Mwakalombe, Kitwe Mayor Christopher Kang’ombe, Patriotic Front (PF) Copperbelt chairperson Steven Kainga among others.