THE Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Transport and
Infrastructural Development has condemned the state of Vehicle Inspection
Department (VID) depots countrywide and said it will recommend an investigation
of a company that was contracted to upgrade the facilities.
Government reportedly contracted a local company Badon
Enterprises and paid it US$6.5 million to upgrade hill-start ramps and tar the
surface around the country’s depots.
The Committee noted that no work had been done at some of
the depots during a countrywide tour of projects funded by Zimbabwe National
Road Administration (Zinara) last week.
In an interview in Victoria Falls on Saturday, Vungu MP Cde
Omega Sibanda who is a member of the Portfolio Committee said the general state
of some VID depots is poor.
“We are very worried about VID depots where a company
called Badon Enterprises was given a job but didn’t do it.
“The company was paid a lot of money, about $6.5 million to
do work countrywide and we are worried about it.
“We went to the Victoria Falls depot, there is no tarred
surface inside and the hill-start ramp is not okay.
“The depot is poorly done and we need to recommend to the
Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development that it be redone.
“As we go forward as a committee, we are going to make sure
that a proper report is prepared and sent to Parliament because it is worrying
that no job was done especially at VID Victoria Falls.
“The general state is poor because of poor workmanship,”
said Cde Sibanda.
VID depots conduct driver training and weighbridge
facilities for cargo trucks among other duties.
Such derelict facilities at VID depots could open way for
unroadworthy vehicles and incompetent drivers flooding the country’s roads as
the department will be incapacitated to provide proper testing.
In Victoria Falls, learner drivers do hill-start on
Courtney Selous Road behind Rainbow Hotel, which also leaves room for
corruption.
The committee tour which ended on Sunday, was aimed at
assessing state of projects funded by Zinara countrywide.
In Victoria Falls the committee commended the Municipality
for resealing a total of 13.3km road network using funds received from Zinara.
The committee also visited Kazungula Bridge across Zambezi
River to appreciate construction work on the project which is a joint venture
between Botswana and Zambia.
Zimbabwe joined the project soon after the coming in of the
Second Republic.
The bridge, now at 98 percent complete, is expected to ease
trade by significantly reducing time in transit across borders and expand
access through most land-linked Sadc member states.
Cde Sibanda said the Portfolio Committee will engage the
Ministry of Transport on the project.
Zinara board chair Engineer Michael Madanha said most
weighbridges and VID depots need to be reworked on.
“We visited VID depots to see weighbridges and MPs were
concerned particularly with VID depots which are not yet complete for various
reasons. Some are old and need re-servicing and proper pavements.
“As an oversight committee they wanted to know how the
money was used and all that was explained to them,” said Eng Madanha.
He said Zinara will mobilise funding to upgrade VID depots.
Chronicle
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