Contractor urged to consider locals in job allocation

THE contractor executing the Pangani River Bridge in collaboration with the Tanzania Road Agency (TANROADS), has been urged to ensure that the locals are given priority in jobs which will arise from the project.

The directive was issued by Tanga Regional Secretary of Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), Suleiman Suleiman during a visit to inspect the progress of the project which is expected to cost 82bn/- upon completion.

The bridge is part of the 256-kilometres Tanga-Saadani-Bagamoyo road being built by the Chinese company M/s Shandong Luquiao Group Co Ltd.

The African Development Bank is funding the project (AfDB). The bridge construction is expected to be completed within 36 months.

The Regional Secretary stated that they have already received citizen complaints that majority of workers employed in the project are from outside the District. “I will meet with officials from TANROADS to discuss the issue,” he said.

The completion of the bridge will bring a huge relief for the residents who rely on ferries, which is not reliable and sometime they are forced to pay 1000/- in private boats.

One resident, Juma Mohamed said in an interview that they must cross by boats whose prices fluctuate. “We request that the bridge be completed as soon as possible. When this bridge is completed, it will make crossing to the other side easier for Pangani residents,” he said.

Another resident, Hamis Abasi noted that crossing the river is a challenge to them because sometime they are required to pay more in order for them to move to the other side.

“We’re asking the government to assist by addressing this problem,” he explained.

A ferry Manager, Samwel Paulo, noted that the large ferry has been suspended since March 19. “We informed the authorities and technicians came here and found that it has a serious problem.

They had informed the ferry agent (Mantrac), who said there is a device that has been damaged and they had to import it from abroad,” Paulo explained.

He added that they had also informed Pangani Member of Parliament and Minister for Water, Jumaa Awesso about the problem.

Ms Zainabu Abdallah, Pangani District Commissioner, stated that the service is expected to resume this coming Saturday if they will get the needed device.

He expressed gratitude to the President for providing more than 1bn/- for repair of MV Tanga ferry.