Works and Supply minister Mike Mulongoti has disclosed that the Road Development Agency (RDA) needs about K3 trillion annually to keep the country’s core road network of approximately 67,000 Km in a maintainable condition.
Mr Mulongoti told parliament today in a ministerial statement on the operations of RDA that only K1.2 trillion per year has been approved by parliament in the past three years.
He said the implication of such low levels of funding has contributed to RDA’s reducing works on its core road network by half .
He said there is need to increase the funding levels to enable RDA fulfill its mandate since roads are a prime engine of national economic growth.
Mr Mulongoti noted that the need to double the funding levels for road infrastructure development cannot be overemphasized if the RDA is to achieve the objects of ROADSIP II by 2015.
The Minister added that one way to generate more funds for the sector is to introduce tollgates on some of the country’s roads.
He disclosed that government intends to do away with fuel levy once tollgate levy was introduced.
Meanwhile. Mr Mulongoti has said that Zambia’s cooperating partners should not expect any bombshell from the audit of the RDA.
He also called for the speedy closure of the protracted audit process of RDA so that the suspended financial cooperation by the cooperating partners could be resumed.
He said RDA has been in existence for a short period and it would not help for anyone to judge them harshly.
QFM
Works and Supply minister Mike Mulongoti , should go through the Auditor General’s report, there was some monies unaccounted for, where is it! There is no guarantee that the K3 trillion will be accounted for? the roads are in a bad shape. This minister had even the courage to stand and speak in Parliament!
aaaah..!…So there have been concerns by co-operating partners . No doubt some funds have been misappropriated . It really is depressing to always read stuff about money going missing all the time. It beggars belief .
Mulongoti and your government let the roads maintain themselves… our government should not use the treasury to reconstructing roads every year. Have you ever heard of the term “TOLL GATE”. I bet you have driven through one on your state visits but may be thought they were just some decorations. Let the raods maintain themselves and save our national treasury, we need good health facilities, better schools and other social amenities.
Iwe ka Mulongoti – whcih School did you go to? Surely as a Minsiter and MP, don’t you study and anlyse proposals of expenditure from your depts before you table them in parliament?. Surely, if they need that money, can you please tell the nation what the K3 trillion is meant to do. Which roads would be revamped and how we can assess that the money has been put to good use. You need to put up what we call in project management ‘ Case for Support’ weshilu weh. But I know for a fact that you Mulongoti are NOT ministerial material and only God knows what was going on in Banda’s mind. Mulongoti is supposed to be a house servant and NOT a minister. Anyway these jobs are now casual jobs for tehe kaponyas ever since Chiluba the chief jkaponya took over from KK the real leader. Anywa, you…
You need to toll all national roads that link Lusaka to all the provincial headquarters & our roads will be well maintained.
Dont give 3 trillion to RDA,Sable will get half of it and 10% to the RDA Management
K3 trillion walya iwe.