Govt takes up water bill for L/Stone institute

GOVERNMENT will meet the bill which Livingstone Institute of Business and Engineering Studies (LIBES) incurred during the period the institution was being used as a Covid-19 quarantine centre.

During that period, the institution incurred a bill of K 207, 000 on unpaid services to utility companies such Zesco, SWASCO and Nemchem.

But Livingstone District Commissioner Pascalina Musokotwane, assured management at LIBES that Government would handle the bill.

Ms Musokotwane said Government was just overwhelmed with Covid-19 challenges but appreciated the support the two institutions rendered in form of accommodation for people under quarantine.

She was speaking during a donation of new mattresses to David Livingstone College of Education (DALICE) which was also a quarantine centre and also to LIBES.

Ms Musokotwane said the district administration would have not managed to accommodate the people without the support of the two institutions.

Earlier, LIBES principal Ignatius Lubinda noted that Covid-19 had left stress on the institution in terms of infrastructure and revenue generation. Mr Lubinda said the number of students had reduced since it opened in July with only 165 students available after the examination classes that had only 200 students.

He said that from the time the institution opened, no case of Covid-19 had been recorded adding that the school was adhering to health guidelines.

Meanwhile, DALICE principal Chola Simpasa, thanked Government for having appreciated the two institutions for their contribution to the fight against Covid-19.