Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development Minister Charles Milupi says the New Dawn administration’s will ensure regular maintenance works on key roads.
Mr Milupi said it is unfortunate that an economic road such as the Great East Road has potholes.
He said if roads are left without maintenance for a long time it becomes more expensive to repair.
Mr Milupi has urged the Road Development Agency- RDA to ensure that there are modalities in place to attend to roads within time.
Mr Milupi was speaking when he checked on works on the one hundred and 30 kilometer stretch of the Great East Road from Rufunsa to Luangwa Bridge.
And RDA Board Chairperson Mulchand Kuntawala said he will next week meet with the Board to see how best works on the stretch can be escalated.
Mr Kuntawala said the Great East Road is a vital corridor for most of the country’s imports such as fuel and it is important that the road is worked on soon.
Meanwhile, RDA Chief Executive Officer George Manyele said works on the stretch started in July 2020 by Buildcon contractors but only 11 percent of works has been done due to erratic funding.
Mr Manyele said the 18 months contract which was supposed to be completed by January 2022 has been revised to April 2023.
He said the contractor has also been paid 40 Million Kwacha so far out of the 4 hundred and 98 Million Kwacha total sum for the works.
