MAAMBA Mine Collieries to rehabilitate roads in Maamba Township at a cost of K20 million

MAAMBA Mine Collieries Limited in Sinazongwe District has launched the rehabilitation of roads in Maamba Township under its co-operate social responsibility at the total cost of twenty million Kwacha.

Speaking during the ground breaking of the road works in Maamba Township yesterday, Maamba Collieries Limited Chief Executive Officer Rear Shankur said rehabilitation works on the roads in Maamba Township will be completed within the period of six months and this was purely under the company’s cooperate social responsibility.

Mr.Shankur said that the works shall be undertaken by the mining company itself because engaging a contractor turned out to be expensive for them.

He said that the company had already acquired equipment to be used for the rehabilitation works which will continue to be used for maintaining the same roads after being rehabilitated.

Mr.Shankur called on Government and other relevant authorities to help ensure that the local community that would be affected by this development are relocated to alternative areas in order to avoid any further inconviniences that may result from rehabilitation works of the roads in the township.

He said that there was need to make the roads strong by putting up shoulders on either sides but observed that some members of the community had built structures much closer to the roads which may pose a challenge to the works if not addressed.

Mr.Shankur said that MCL placed the community around the mining area as a priority hence taking up such a huge task despite financial challenges caused by non payments for the power generated and supplied from the thermal power station.

Meanwhile Sinazongwe Constituency law maker Gift Sialubalo has applauded MCL for implementing its cooperate social responsibility for the benefit of the people in the area.

Mr.Sialubalo said at the same function that it was not easy for the mining company to plough back to the community in such a way because the cost of doing business was very high.

He said that the company was among the few in Sinazongwe District to plough back to the community within a short period of time after taking over running of the mine.

Mr.Sialubalo also called on MCL to consider using local labour force for certain jobs apart from experts in order to help the unemployed youths in Sinazongwe District.

He further called on the Government to consider expediting the process of redesigning and rehabilitating the Batoka Maamba road since MCL had already set the pace by rehabilitating roads in Maamba Township.

Mr.Sialubalo said that Batoka Maamba road was an economically important road not only to Sinazongwe District alone but the Country at large.

He challenged other companies that existed in Sinazongwe District to emulate MCL by also implementing thier cooperate social responsibility as a way of ploughing back to the community.

And Sinazongwe Town Council Secretary Everty Ngandu said at the same function that the rehabilitation of roads in Maamba Township was another milestone in development caused by MCL besides donating a tipper truck and back hoe loader both Valued at k1.2million two days ago for purposes of gabbage collection to keep the environment clean.

Mr.Ngandu said that Governments’ vision of 2030, the seventh National Development Plan (SNDP) and decentralization policy called for improved infrastructure development and therefore the roads rehabilitation works in Maamba Township were timely as they fit well in the Government policies.

He said that Government was there to create a conducive environment for the private sector to participate in the Country’s economic development.

Mr.Ngandu said that the Council and Government at large treasured the gestures shown by MCL because it was a positive contribution towards sustainable development of the nation.

He said that the rehabilitation of the roads in the township shall not only add beauty to it but improve the quality of life of the people and attract more investment for development.