By JOHN SAKALA
First Quantum Mining has come to the aid of Solwezi Municipal Council by offering to work on six selected feeder roads to make them motorable.
Speaking with The Independent Observer in an interview, Solwezi Town Clerk Bornwell Luanga said FQM has come on board through its Corporate Social responsibility to make some selected feeder roads motorable.
Mr Luanga said such collaboration which materialised after the request by the council, will help in service delivery for the good of the community and the mining firm itself.
He said FQM was equally affected by the bad feeder rods as its employees would delay to start a shift as a result of the poor rods.
“The feeder roads to be attended to with temporal repairing means are Kimakolwe route (2.5kilometres), Zambia-Kimasala road (4.0 km), Magrade road (1.8 km), Kandundu road (1.5 km), Urban road (1. 4 km) and Golf road (2.5 km).
“I need to put it clear that the feeder roads that FQM has picked are already earmarked for complete upgrade to bituminous standards under the Local Government Urban roads project. As soon as government releases the funds the contractor China Geo will be site,” he said.
He said FQM intends to repair subgrade of the feeder roads by means of spot dumping, level, mix and compact followed by adding a 150 millimeters gravel wearing course.
Mr Luanga said once done, the roads would be of great benefit both to the local authority and the mine as it will alleviate delays of people using the same roads and repairs required to everyone’s vehicles.
