By Saio Marrah
The Communication Specialist at the Sierra Leone Roads Authority, Keifa Jaward, has said the institution is formulating a policy that will ensure a fine is issued for the overloading of vehicles plying within the country.
Speaking to Politico, Jaward said the process will be done by placing devices on the roads that will scan a vehicle and detect if it is overloaded beyond its registered capacity.
This according to him is intended to deter overloading, which he said contributes to the destruction of roads.
During an Oversight Visit by Sierra Leone’s parliament on the 24th of August, on SLRA, the Director of Research, Planning and Policy Department, Ing. Vandi French, explained to the Lawmakers that SLRA is formulating its strategic plan in line with the National Medium Term Development Plan and to formulate new policies that promote the responsible use of the road.
He said it will also serve as an alternative source of revenue for the maintenance of the existing roads and construction of new ones.
The Director of Operations Management, Ing. Alfred Jalil Momodu, expressed the commitment of the Roads Authority to complete the Hillside By-Pass Road in Freetown and the Lumley--Tokeh roads in December this year.
Ing. Momodu, while highlighting the gains made by the institution in the implementation of road projects in the last four years, said it has maintained and paved most of the roads leading to district headquarter towns. He said the work on Pujehun and Mattru Jong roads is ongoing, while Falaba and Kerene are among the next priority projects.
Momodu added that the Authority and partners have constructed modern bridges at some of the major ferry crossing points, and paved some of the urban township roads.
He said SLRA has also conducted feasibility studies on over 2000 kilometres of roads in the country and has started signing Public Private Partnership agreements with private firms for the reconstruction of some of the roads.
Another official of SLRA, the Director of Assets Management, Ing. Peter Kome, told the MPs that the Authority has the responsibility to take inventory of all road and non-road assets it has across the country, from which it periodically examines their worthiness and rehabilitate those that are in deteriorating condition.
He however pointed out that even where the Authority has the capacity to do so, it does not have enough funds to manage all the road assets in the country.
Ing. Kome, therefore, pleaded with the MPs to support the SLRA in protecting the road assets and advocated for more investment in the road sub-sector.
The Chairman of the Committee on Parliamentary Committee on Planning and Economic Development in the Sierra Leone Parliament, Musa Fofanah, of constituency 023, Kono District, said that the National Medium Term Development Plan will come to an end next year (2023). “So, we thought it fit to interact with you to know the achievements made by SLRA and the challenges that you face in your work so that we can report them to parliament and the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development," he said.
He noted that the work of SLRA is very crucial to achieving the infrastructural development goals of the country's development strategy.
He however acknowledged the gains made by the institution including the completion of the Magbele and Mabang bridges, and the Moyamba-Moyamba Junction Road.
Member of Parliament, Peter Yamba Koroma, representing constituency 033 from Bombali District, noted that the incoherent nature of some policies and the lack of coordination among some Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) are the major factors responsible for the challenges faced by many government projects.
He called on the institution to strengthen collaboration with other key MDAs for the development of the road sub-sector.
Other members of the parliamentary committee committed to supporting the work of the Authority.
The formulation of the new policy for a fine for overloading is said to be at a draft stage, which will require input from other stakeholders before tabling it to the house of parliament for enactment into law.
Copyright © Politico Online (29/08/22)
