. Chitotela

By HELLEN TEMBO –
HOUSING and Infrastructure Development Minister Ronald Chitotela has said construction works on the US$200 million 48 Marine Unit project have reached 82 per cent completion.
Mr Chitotela said only 18 per cent of the project remained undone on the development which would host 10, 000 people when completed.
He said this yesterday after touring the project at the Kala Camp in Kawambwa, Luapula Province.
“The project has over 1, 000 housing units, one church, one hospital, two schools, a primary and secondary and other social amenities. I’m happy that within two years the contractor has built 1, 000 housing units,” Mr Chitotela said.
Mr Chitotela said Civil Society Organisation (CSO) should conduct a survey on the current housing deficit for them to have correct data.
He said the Government was building 40 hospitals and each health facility would be accompanied by 10 housing units for doctors and nurses.
Mr Chitotela said all the schools that the Government was building countrywide were being done with 27 housing units each school.
He said the Government was determined to make people’s lives better, stressing he was grateful to President Edgar Lungu for the goodwill he had been demonstrating for Zambians.
Chama Member of Parliament (MP) Davidson Mung’andu appealed to fellow MPs to support the budget for defense.
Mr Chama appealed to youths to consider joining the defense forces, because as they left school, they could become doctors, nurses, teachers, engineers and other careers wanted in the Special Forces.
Ashstrom Construction Company Zambia managing director Guy Gross said the project would be handed over to Government in September 2019.
Mr Gross said the company had given 20 per cent of the work to locals.
Forty-eight Marine Unit commanding officer Augustine Chirwa said marine had a shortage of officers and called on the Government to consider recruiting more soldiers who would be sent to work in the marine.