By MAPULANGA LIBINGA –
INFRASTRATURE development projects are taking centre-stage in many parts of the country and Copperbelt Province is receiving a reasonable share of the activities.
Construction of roads, which is taking place in almost all the parts of the country, is also happening on the Copperbelt.
The province has not been left behind to wallow in the shadows of underdevelopment.
Only last year in July, President Edgar Lungu launched the C-400 road development project.
The project was launched in Chingola District where the majority of roads were classified as dilapidated.
The C-400 road project seeks to improve all township roads across the length and breadth of the whole Copperbelt Province.
Within the province, Ndola is one of the districts that has benefitted from the project sicnce it was put in place by the Government.
Within Ndola District, Pamodzi Township in Chifubu Constituency is one of the concituencies which have benefitted from the project.
Pamodzi is one of the biggest townships in Chifubu Constituency.
It comprises of Overspill, Pamodzi location and Kanyanje-Minsundu.
According to Pamodzi Ward Councilor Manase Siwila, the C-400 project in Pamodzi has been divided into three sections in order for it to benefit the whole community.
“The project has to benefit the entire community as development progresses,” Mr Siwila said.
He said the project is still on-going even though at the moment, it is just being done in the three mentioned areas.
Mr Siwila said all the roads in Pamodzi would be done, including roads such as the Fiesta, which would be attended to in future.
The councilor paid tribute to the people living in the township for their patience as he worked on delivering the promises which the Patriotic Front (PF) Government made about the same project.
He said the project was initially supposed to start in July last year.
He urged the people to continue with the same spirit and ensure that once constructed, the roads would be well looked after.
“We are still waiting for the road projects under the C400 to be continued,” he said.
Mr Siwila thanked the Government for the continued support both to the community in Pamodzi Township and the country at large.
He said the Government must also continue with the same spirit of developing every part of the country.
He further commended Chifubu Member of Parliament (MP) Frank Ng’ambi for his dedication to ensure that road projects under the C-400 were successful because they were meant to improve people’s welfare in the constituency.
The councilor also revealed that he personally launched the ‘Keep Pamodzi Clean’ campaign last year said for the community’s benefit.
Mr Siwila said it could be better if the campaign was carried out aggressively countrywide because cleanness must be a continuous exercise not only when there is a problem like cholera.
He has appealed to cooperating partners to join the Government in working together to develop the country.
The councilor appealed to the Government not to be involving councilors when dealing with local matters at constituency level.
“Councilors must be given priority to make decisions on were to do the (road) works from within their wards instead of leaving everything to the Road Development Agency (RDA) or the councils,” he said.
But he was quick to indicate that so far, works on improving the road network in Pamodzi was progressing well.
Site manager for the roads project Peter Lushinga said the works are progressing well on 7.3 kilomtres of road although the RDA had not shown the contractor an additional 1.2 kilomtres of road that is remaining to be worked on.
He said the RDA was expected to show them the remaining section of road by the end of January.
He said the additional bit will bring to the total of length of the road network being worked on by the contractor in Pamodzi to to 8.5 kilometers.
Mr Lushinga also said 180 local workers have been employed by Tonlex Construction Company Limited which is owned by the Zambian contractor based in Lusaka.
And responding to a press query, Mr Lushinga said his company is expected to finish doing the roads it has been allocated in 12 months time.
He said from the look of things, the work will finished within the stipulated time.
“The work started on September 17, last year and it is expected to finish on September 17 this year,” he said.
He commended the Government for hiring a local contractor which has employed local people.
Local residents have also appreciated the works by the Government.
Most people talked to said putting a drainage network on the new roads will reduce soil erosion and it will improve the township’s outlook.
Ms Margret Phiri, a local resident, said the new roads will also help to improve the drainage system in the area and avoid flooding.
She said the poor drainage in the past made the floods to spill over into people’s yards.
And a local business executive, Dikani Banda, also commended the road works being done by the Government.
He said the new road infrastructure will make Pamodzi Township surroundings be clean.
He has since appealed to the Government not to construct the drainages using only cement, like it was done in Bonano area, but instead use stones mixed with cement.
It is important that communities where development activities were taking place to support Government by protecting the new investments.
This is meant to ensure that the tax-payers’ money used in funding such projects does not go to waste on building infrastructure which is left to crumble or taken advantage of by vandals.