Mon, 10 Jul 2017 09:50:12 +0000
…as Minister intervenes
By KALOBWE BWALYA
ANGRY Lusaka residents opposed to the planned development of a Chinese-built mall have forced Government to intervene and a meeting between them, the council and the Anti-Corruption Commission will be held shortly to establish the truth.
The residents claim that the area where the mall was being developed in Kalundu was residential but the council has insisted that the area was for mixed developed.
Now Lusaka Province Minister Japhen Mwakalombe intends to call a truth meeting to establish the veracity of the claims.
The residents are excited because they believe corruption in the manner the allocation was done will be exposed.
Mr Mwakalombe, speaking in an interview, said the council will have to present the master plan of the city to show whether the controversial construction is within the right zone.
“We are drafting a letter to Lusaka City Council requesting them to come with a master plan for Lusaka and see whether the construction of Kalundu shopping mall is in the plan or not,” Mr Mwakalombe said.
Mr Mwakalombe said for now, he could not respond to the petition by the residents of Kalundu concerning the construction of the shopping mall which has since been suspended by the National Council for Construction (NCC).
The suspension has been prompted by the developer’s failure to provide approved documentation from the NCC.
“I have asked the deputy permanent secretary to draft a letter to Lusaka City Council to call them as well as the planning department which is Town and Country Planning to be part of the meeting. I have asked the council to come with their masterplan for Lusaka so that we look at it.
He said he had decided to call the Anti-Corruption Commission to attend the meeting so that whatever decision would be made would be transparent.
Earlier, NCC executive director Matthew Ngulube said the council halted the project because the contractor did not meet the benchmarks needed before the project could take off.
