By Scoop Reporter
MONZE Town Council has expressed dismay at the laissez-faire attitude towards work by Anita Construction Company, the contractor building the district transit bus terminus.
Council Secretary Benson Bweenje has now warned the contractor, project manager, and the consultant to be mindful that the contract has already been extended twice based on their request and recommendation hence the need to complete the works within the stipulated period.
Speaking yesterday when he and a team from his office went to check on the progress of the station which was scheduled for handover on April 12, 2020, Mr. Bweenje said the Provincial Procurement Committee had given the contractor ample time to complete the works.
He says the contractor has continued to ask for further extensions to complete the project without considering Government and the council’s costs whenever they extend the handover period.
He has reminded the team that time is a cost and detriment to the Government and the council for they expected to have received the facility by the agreed date.
He has instructed the project manager and the consultant to supervise the contractor based on the work plan adding that all technical problems should be resolved on site by the three offices.
“You asked for extension two times and you were given but why are failing to finish? This project was in my budget last year and it is in my budget this year that I will be getting revenue from here yet you are telling me that you need more time.
“This is not the council’s money or our money as workers but money for the people of Zambia appropriated to Monze hence the need for us to be accountable in our various capacities so that the people of Zambia can see benefits from their money. We need the money from this station to help with certain services in the district,” Mr. Bweenje said.
“We should be mindful that the source funding for the project is based on bilateral relationships and Government does not want to compromise its bilateral relationships due to negligence of officers and agents,” he said.
Meanwhile, council socioeconomic planner, Jack Deka, has demanded for a specific date on which the contractor will hand over the project saying the people of Monze would like to start using their facility.
Mr. Deka has urged that contractor to consider the reputation of not only his company, but that of local contractors who have for a long time come under scrutiny due to such incidents of delays in delivering projects.
“You should also remember that when you are given a contract, people’s eyes are on you as a local contractor. Therefore, it is imperative that you do your job diligently so that your reputation as a Zambian company is not compromised. We need to realise as local contractors that we are representing every other contractor in the country,” Mr. Deka said.
The contractor has since promised to deliver a work plan before the close of business on Monday which would indicate the date of hand over and provide baseline for monitoring by the project manager.
