ITEZHI-TEZHI ROAD DEPLORABLE

RESIDENTS

of Itezhi tezhi have bemoaned the poor state of the road, D2 which leads to the district off the Mumbwa-Mongu road.

The residents have complained that, with the heavy rains being experienced, the road was becoming impassable, especially with small vehicles.

Confirming the development in an interview yesterday, Mr Twambo Mutinta, a youth activist, said that a stretch of about 45 kilometres had actually become impassable posing a threat to travellers.

Mr Mutinta, a resident of Itezhi tezhi said that the state of the road was deplorable and should be repaired quickly.

"The state of the road is a death trap. The road is deplorable and a stretch of about 45 kilometers is very bad, smaller vehicles like Corolla can't pass there. Vehicles can't sway from the main road then you become stuck," he said.

He said as a result of the bad road, some transporters has stopped going to the area for fear of damaging their vehicles.

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"So what is happening now is that the cost of doing business in Itezhi tezhi has risen, the cost of maintaining a vehicle for drivers has become expansive," Mr Mutinta said.

He said that some of the buses that used to operate on the Itezhi tezhi route were now shunning it because of the poor state of the road.

"Now, there has been a rumour that someone has been given money to finish the road project but we are asking for answers as residents. We want to know who that contractor is because we don't want that project to resume towards campaigns.

"People have discovered that projects that start or resume during campaigns don't get completed. In addition to that, the 21 kilometres township road has been abandoned, the machinery was taken back to Lusaka," he said.

He added that the road which leads to the district hospital was another death trap and wondered when it would be repaired.

Mr Mutinta said residents were wondering why the local authority through the influence of UPND area Member of Parliament, Herbert Shabula, procured a faulty grader.

"There is a grader which was procured using Constituency Development Fund (CDF) but that grader has never worked anywhere and it is now clocking a year in its brand new state.

“So we are seeking answers as community members because the entire CDF went to one investment and left many projects stalled," he said.