By Kondwani Magombo, MANA
Government will soon embark on the upgrading of at least nine earthen and gravel feeder roads within Mangochi Boma to bitumen standard to ease transportation of people and goods.
Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Ben Malunga Phiri and Minister of Transport and Public Works, Ralph Jooma, disclosed this on Saturday during an interface with stakeholders on the matter at Mangochi Town Council.
Phiri said it was a directive from President Prof. Peter Mutharika that the feeder roads around Mangochi Boma be upgraded considering the economic importance that Mangochi has to the country.
“Mangochi has always been at the heart of President Professor Peter Mutharika and he would like to see a developed Mangochi with good road network,” he said.
The Minister described people in Mangochi as tolerant and disciplined owing to the fact that they have never participated in any of the violent demonstrations that rocked the country after the May elections.
Phiri urged people in Mangochi to remain united and to support all government developments aimed at turning the district into a city.
On the other hand, Minister of Transport and Public Works, Ralph Jooma said the upgrading of the feeder roads around Mangochi Boma would commence in July upon completion of all paperwork.
He said government would embark on the construction of the Mangochi Katuli Road, Mangochi Makanjira Road, and Monkey Bay-Cape Maclear Road, among others.
“The President is very passionate about changing the face of Mangochi and this is just the beginning,” Jooma said adding, “The Mangochi-Chiponde is going to upgraded as part of the Nacala Corridor Project and we are going to construct a One-Stop Border Post at Chiponde as part of the same project.”
According to Mangochi Town Council Chief Executive (CEO), Abubakar Nkhoma, the roads earmarked for upgrading to bitumen standard add up to 11km with a budget of K3.2 billion.
He said once upgraded the roads would help the council collect revenue from its structures easily as the council’s clients would see the value for their money.
Some of the earthen and gravel feeder roads earmarked for upgrading include the Central Market Road which also connects to Mangochi Bus Depot, the road from Mangochi-Monkey bay Road at Soko to National Bank via Mangochi old bus depot and Mangochi Town Council.
According to Nkhoma, the latter road would be used as a diversion for bicycle taxi operators in order to decongest traffic on the main roads around the Boma.
Present at the interface meeting was Mangochi Central legislator, Victoria Kingston and Deputy Minister of Transport and Public Works, Charles Mchacha.
