The Blantyre City Council (BCC) has warned World Food Programme (WFP) against congesting the council’s roads, especially around the Unilever’s former offices where the UN agency has warehouses.
Scores of trucks are seen parked around the area on a daily basis, with some loading and offloading relief items.
BCC Public Relations Manager, Anthony Kasunda, said on Monday they told WFP to stop parking trucks along the road which has often times resulted in road blockage.
Kasunda said council officials had a meeting with WFP officials yesterday where the concern was raised.
“We have told them that trucks are not supposed to be parked in that area. Trucks are supposed to be parked in industrial areas and ferry the goods using smaller vehicles to other areas to avoid congesting the roads,” Kasunda said.
A visit by The Daily Times to WFP premises revealed that scores of trucks were blocking the road from Zubeda to Unilever, with the yet to be inaugurated dual carriage road from Maselema to Limbe Cathedral turned into a parking lot.
According to Kasunda, WFP acknowledged the problem during the meeting but also pointed out that they are not solely to blame because there are other transport companies whose trucks are also congesting the road.
“We will also caution the other players because we don’t want heavy trucks parking along the city’s roads,” he said.
One of the motorists we interviewed said having plenty of trucks covering almost the section of the dual carriage road defeats the purpose of having such a road.
“[Blantyre] City Council should advise organisations to identify warehouses away from the Central Business District to avoid congesting the roads,” he said.
Government, through the Roads Authority, embarked on a multimillion dual carriage road project from Maselema to Kachere Township as one way of easing traffic coming from and going to Zomba.
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