……. As Hon. Eng. Milupi talks tough against overloading
Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development, Hon. Eng. Charles Lubasi Milupi has commissioned the newly constructed Chongwe Weighbridge along the Great East Road in Chongwe District with a stern warning that the Government will not condone increased cases of overloading on public roads.
Hon. Eng. Milupi said the Government was concerned with the high prevalence of overloading of heavy goods vehicles especially tipper trucks, which had an adverse impact on the life span of the roads.
“Let me take advantage of the occasion to sound a strong warning to people who are in the habit of overloading their heavy goods vehicles and then start engaging the authorities requesting for waivers or reduction in surcharges.
“Government shall not issue waivers or effect reductions in surcharges as doing so will be giving them free licenses to cause damage to our road infrastructure at will,” the Minister warned.
Chongwe Weighbridge has been constructed by Scirocco Enterprises Limited at a revised contract sum of K46,264,352.17.
Hon. Eng. Milupi said measures being implemented to improve the road network will be in vain if the Government does not curb overloading by regulating the limits of the loads being transmitted on the roads.
“It is for this reason that Government through the RDA will continue rolling out the vehicle load management programme aimed at controlling vehicle overloading through the use of fixed and mobile weighbridges.
“This programme ensures that maximum permissible weights for the heavy motor vehicles are adhered to and thereby achieving the objectives set under the vehicle load management programme,” he said.
He added that an efficient enforcement of axle load regulations will contribute positively as heavy axles inflict excessive costs in terms of wear and tear on roads.
“They cause additional damage to roads and hamper the safety of traffic. Therefore, an efficient vehicle load regulation with increased number of weighbridges on the road network will lead to reduction in maintenance cost of roads,” he said.
Road Development Agency (RDA) Board of Directors Chairperson, Eng. Mulchand Kuntawala also echoed the sentiments shared by the Minister and urged the trucking fraternity to adhere to the regulations relating to maximum permissible weights for the heavy motor vehicles.
“Let me take this opportunity to reach out to the trucking fraternity, that it does not pay to make a quick buck by overloading the trucks. The penalties as you all know, is heavy and has a negative impact on your bottom line.
“The damage to the road structure means that more funds have to be outlaid by our Government in the premature maintenance of the roads. These unwarranted expenses could be much better utilised by the Government in the so many needy areas it needs to give as services to its citizens,” he said.
Meanwhile, Eng. Kuntawala said the Chongwe Weighbridge project was another classical example of one of the many projects that was embarked many years ago, prior to the appointment of the current Board of Directors, without taking due consideration of the financial envelope available.
Eng. Kuntawala said a project of seven months took seven years to complete.
“The lesson to learn is that if projects are not planned taking into account the financial resources available, then the result is that two of the tenets of project implementation will be obliterated and these are: timely completion and at the right price,” he said.
He said due to the importance the Agency attached to control overloading, the Board identified this as one of the critical projects that needed to be resuscitated and it ensured that funding was made available for the project to be completed.
Eng. Kuntawala said in the RDA Strategic Plan for 2022-2026, the Agency had targeted at constructing five weighbridges.
Eng. Kuntawala said that so far, out of the total five weighbridges target for the period 2022 to 2026, two weighbridges had been completed.
“One of them is the Solwezi Weighbridge which you recently commissioned Hon. Minister of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban development on 12th July 2024 and the second one is this Chongwe Weighbridge which is being commissioned today.
“In addition, two weighbridges are earmarked for construction at Mwami and Katete financed by the African Development Bank (AfDB). Lastly but not the least, works on the first ever weigh-in-motion weighbridge in Nakonde are ongoing and physical progress attained stands at 48%,” he said.
