STOP ROGUE CONTRACTORS

THE problem of contractors abandoning projects is a very serious lapse which should not be condoned and culprits should be dealt with swiftly and severely regardless of who they are. Unless the problem is quickly nipped in the bud once and for all, colossal sums of money will continue going down the drain at the expense of development meant to benefit Zambians. State House special assistant to the President for project, implementation and monitoring, Andrew Chellah has on several occasions cautioned contractors to refrain from this unscrupulous behaviour but sadly, the warnings keep falling on deaf ears. It’s disheartening that some contractors abandon projects immediately after being paid or worse still desert those that were 90 percent complete. How sad! While local contractors are infamous for abandoning projects after getting a down payment, opting to spend the money lavishly on expensive cars and other things, it’s even shocking and infuriating when an international contractor joins the band wagon. A case in point is the Chinese construction company Mangoe Tree which was hired to build Mutumbata and Kapoche secondary schools in Petauke and Sinda respectively in the Eastern Province but reportedly abandoned the works after being paid over K10 million for the projects last month. This misdeed came to the fore when Mr Chellah, who was inspecting projects in the province at the weekend, visited the projects’ sites in question only to find the contractor conspicuously missing. It is mindboggling and infuriating that the Chinese contractor deserted the projects even after being paid three-quarters of the money yet shamefully failed to justify his actions. Why was this foreign contractor absent from both sites when he was paid three-quarters of the money and the projects were 90 percent complete? Further, does it also mean that if Mr Chellah hadn’t visited both sites, the nation would not have known that the projects had been abandoned? While the contractor is at fault and so are those who are charged with the responsibility of supervising these projects. It is evident that there is lack of proper supervision of these projects countrywide and for as long as the status quo remains, contractors will continue deserting projects with impunity and the country losing money. We are there therefore in total agreement with Mr Chellah that local authorities are not adequately supervising the projects to ensure they are completed according to the stipulated time. If local authorities are the ones charged with this responsibility why then are they not seen to be taking charge and effectively carrying out this task? It could that there is communication breakdown or lack of harmonisation over the matter between the central government and the local authorities and perhaps this needs revisiting urgently. We urge government and local authorities to sit down and discuss this matter once and for all if the problem of projects desertion is to be stopped. We also feel the foreign Chipata contractor should be taken to task over his failure to finish the two school projects and if found wanting should be dealt with sternly without fear or favour. As we have said before on this platform, unless the government takes drastic measures to prevent contractors, both local and foreign, from abandoning projects, Zambians will continue losing out on development – they deserve better and not a raw deal as in this case. Construction of schools, clinics and roads among others are projects that are meant to benefit ordinary Zambians and it is saddening to hear persistent reports of contractors abandoning projects even after they have been paid. It is high time Government put its foot down once and for all. Culprits should be thrown behind bars or made to pay back to send a strong message to would-be project deserters. The nonsense must stop.