The Parliamentary Committee on government assurance says it is disappointed over the slow pace of infrastructure construction and maintenance in Luapula Province.
The Committee, which is in the Luapula Province to conduct inspections on the roads and government buildings, expressed its dissatisfaction at the rate and quality of works done on infrastruture in Luapula.
Committee Chairperson, Jacob Chongo, who is also Mwense Member of Parliament said the committee is concerned at the sub-standard works and pace at which works are being done on the Luwingu Mansa and Kashikishi Lunchila road.
Mr Chongo noted that the full implementation of some road projects in the province have unnecessarily delayed thereby hampering development activities in the area.
Mr Chongo said this when the committee called on Luapula Province Minister, Crispin Musosha, today.
But Luapula Province Acting Permanent Secretary, Clement Siame, observed that the long tendering procedure was hampering government implementation of projects in the province.
Mr Siame also said the provincial administration was facing challenges in the monitoring of projects whose awards and tendering were done centrally without the involvement of the local administration
He suggested that RDA should consider delegating some of its functions to the provincial administration particularly that of awarding some major contracts of road maintenance and consultation in the province.
He also suggested the need for government to decentralise tender authority to allow for the awarding of tenders at provincial level for quicker implementation and effective monitoring of projects.
Meanwhile, Luanshya Constituency MP, Jane Phiri, ha called for the smooth implementation of the Decentralization policy in Zambia to enable local government participation in tendering and monitoring processes.
Ms Phiri noted that the current process which does not directly empower district and provincial administrations to award some of the major contracts and tenders is retrogressive to the speedy implementation of projects.
ZANIS/DN/SC/ENDS/SJK
Chiluba spent money in China.By the way, where Xavier Chungu?.Nowonder..
Poseniko amano ku Luapula ba Musosha tekulaikata fye pandalama nokulalaya abantu amapromises. Those are politics of the past. I think Luapula is the least developed province in the country! Shame!!!
So what if they’re dissappointed… They engineer that their family and friends’ tutembas get the contracts, eat the money with them…and then they come to issue useless statements like this.
…You MP’s are not honourable enough for people to act if you express dissampointment. Your statements of dissapointment are a mokery to us.
Who gives a foot if MP’s are dissappointed!!! It’slike repremanding yourself for your own mistake!