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Conrad Mupesa-Mashonaland West Bureau
THE road rehabilitation exercise aimed at face-lifting Mhangura and Lions Den status in Makonde district while also improving accessibility has started.
The exercise is running under the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme 2 (ERRP2), which has been introduced and being funded by the Second Republic following the dilapidation of most roads across the country due to excessive rains received in the previous season.
At least 25 private contractors have registered interest to Makonde Rural District Council (MRDC) to take part in the road works.
MRDC chief executive officer, Mr Paradzai Munyede said council opened to tender the two roads in Mhangura Constituency under the district, with plans to finish the roads before year end.
“Through the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme (ERRP2), the council invited service providers to tender for a road from Post Office to Makonde Christian Hospital covering at least 1.5km and another one in Lions Den. There was a tremendous response with the contractors now working on the roads.
“The contractors will tar the Lions Den road while the Mhangura stretch will be patched,” said Mr Munyede.
The council staff and councillors also underwent a citizen engagement and stakeholders participation policy formulation workshop last week.
The workshop was aimed at finding ways to bolster development efforts at the local council.
“We are formulating a policy document which compels policy makers and management on frequency of engagement and methods of how we should engage.
“As a council, our engagement was not that strong and was fragmented as people were failing to see the development efforts that we, as a council were putting.
“For example, people need to know about the money the Government has availed to us; how it has been utilised so, we want that to be progressively on a quarterly basis giving people enough feedback which they can evaluate the impact which are making through devolution,” he said.
He said as a measure of addressing the mismatch that existed in terms of engagement, the council intends to restructure its organogram next year and incorporate a public relations department from which qualified people will engage and disseminate information.
The council also conducted a two-day training workshop in October with the Local Government and Public Works’ finance advisory experts to capacitate them on the 2022 budget preparations.
Makonde has been perennially failing to submit budgets on time.
Online Reporter