01 Sep 2016

Funds for compensation of residents who will be moved to pave way for Tutume development infrastructure development have been secured.

Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, deputy director (technical services), Mr Regie Gobotsamang said this at the final draft review for the project meeting in Tutume on Tuesday.

He said those affected would be given their dues and the road reserve be marked accordingly.

He urged the technical team and the consultant to speed-up the process so that all could be covered on time in order to avoid unnecessary delays that might result in the delay of the actual project to commence.

The project, he said, was planned to begin in the next financial year, therefore everything, which needed to be dealt with should be completed.

Mr Gobotsamang also highlighted that relocation report of services such as Botswana Power Corporation (BPC), Botswana Telecommunication and Botswana Fiber Networks (Bofinet) in particular should be ready so that funds could also be availed, noting that in the case of BPC which will engage private companies to do their work; their quotations should have reached relevant offices.

This, he said was because after funds are availed to them, they as BPC have to engage a company which will do the work as at times this process takes time which will then impair on the commencing of the major project.

Regarding the street lighting which the technical team for the project raised as a problem since there has been communication from the authorities that they should go Green and use solar lights and cover a distance of 50 kilometers within the village, the deputy director stated that it is important for them to stick to the scope of the project which is 21.7 kilometers road.

He explained that going beyond the scope is going to affect a lot of things including funding for the project because information already presented for funding is for the 21.7 distance not 50 kilometers.

Meanwhile, the archaeologist engaged to do the exhumation process for the 10 burial sites within the road reserve, Ms Princess Modikwa said their process would be done within the next three months.

He said concerning the eight consent letters signed by families agreeing on the exhumation and reburial of their relatives were in the process of making an application to the ministry of health for exhumation. ENDS