Dusty Gulu road irks residents

Adjumani

Gulu Municipality Mayor George Labeja has threatened to mobilise locals and lead a demonstration over the dusty five-kilometer stretch on the ongoing 62 kilometers road construction of Kamdini-Gulu road that was awarded to China Communication Construction Company Ltd (CCCC).

Mr Labeja’s threat follows complaints by residents and the business community along Cerelenu Market in Tegwana Parish, Gulu Municipality over the dusty road, arguing that their businesses are paralysed since the dust repels customers.

In an interview with Daily Monitor, Mr Labeja, appealed to the contractors to adjust their plan and start the construction from Gulu Municipality to get rid of the dust.
“We have been having talks with CCCC officials over the past months to consider the plight of the people over the dusty road,” he said.

Mr Patrick Opiyo, a trader at Cerelenu market, says the level of dust raised along the road has affected his sales and the profit margin and called on the intervention of the municipal authorities.

The chief engineer at CCCC, Mr Tang Yong, cited challenges in adhering to the new proposal of the municipal authorities, adding that the they are still following the original plans of constructing the road from Kamdini to Gulu.

“We shall maintain the road through sprinkling water on Daily basis to ensure that the level of dust on the road is reduced. We shall also make sure we build humps on the road to limit vehicles speeds,” say Mr Yong.

In April last year, the Minister for relief and disaster preparedness, Eng Hillary Onek, commissioned the constructions of 62 Kilometers road works stretching from Gulu to Kamdini at a tune of Shs 62 billion an the construction work was to last for two years.

However since commissioning, only the tarmac layers in Gulu were scrapped off leaving the roads in a dusty state.

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