MANGANESE FIRMS DAMAGING FEEDER ROADS - COUNCILLOR
MANGANESE mining companies are damaging feeder roads and bridges in Chalata ward in Mkushi, area councillor Moses Manjimela has charged.
Mr Manjimela said the heavy trucks ferrying loads of manganese from the mine sites for onward processing and export were damaging feeder roads. Mr Manjimela said the feeder roads were the initiative of farmers in the area who combined efforts and graded the roads without the help of anganese ining fir s yet they had now taken the lead in destroying them. He said he would not allow a situation where roads were being damaged by heavy duty trucks by manganese mining fir s without aintenance. Mr Manjimela said there was need for the ining fir s to start ploughing back into the communities they operated from through maintenance of roads as part of their corporate social responsibility programme. He said farmers in area were facing challenges in transportation of farm produce to the market due to poor roads. “Farmers are the ones feeling the pain because they are the ones who graded the roads but now failing to transport their produce to the available market,” he lamented. Councillor Manjimela said so far there were a out fi e anganese ining fir s in the area owned by Chinese and Indians including others that were mushrooming. Mr Manjimela was concerned that if the situation was not checked, farmers business and movements will be terribly affected. But when contacted, Mkushi District Commissioner (DC) Luka Mwamba said the area councillor had been authorised to establish revenue collection points in form of barriers on the roads. “The ward councillor was given authority to arrange for the barrier so that the revenue realised goes towards maintenance of roads. This is same with Upperlunsemfwa ward,” Ms Mwamba said. Meanwhile, Kalwa ward councillor Gerald Manda has appealed to government to erect bridges in the area. The bridges were swept away during the previous rain season leaving residents in limbo. Speaking in interview with the Daily Nation, councillor Manda said the three swept away bridges were impeding transportation of goods and farm produce. “Chila, Kampoko and Chisheta bridges were washed away by a heavy downpour last rain season. To date, nothing has been done to improve the situation despite reporting to the relevant authorities,” Mr Manda complained. Mr Manda added that there was need by government to set up permanent bridges as opposed to makeshift structures organised by the community that were washed away annually. He said residents in the area were crying for bridges to be constructed because they were the main links to the three respective areas. Councillor Manda further urged the affected residents to exercise patience as the Patriotic Front (PF) saying government would correct the situation in due course.