The NEWS (Monrovia)
5 May 2008
Monrovia — The United Nations envoy in Liberia, Ms. Ellen Margrethe Løj, has called on Liberians to do all within their power to guard and protect the newly rehabilitated roads from individuals who damage these roads by unlawfully scooping and collecting gravel or laterite.
"This is a criminal act which is damaging the roads we have just built. If you find somebody damaging the roads, please report them to the Liberia National Police or to the local elders of chiefs or to the United Nations," urged SRSG Løj.
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) was speaking at an inauguration ceremony in Madina, western Liberia, where she officially opened the newly rehabilitated 43-km Madina-Robertsport road constructed by the PAK-ENGINEERS company in the UN Mission in Liberia, (UNMIL), in coordination with Liberia's Ministry of Public Works and UNMIL's Engineering Section.
Ms. Løj expressed appreciation to all those who worked on road, adding "You have widened the road considerably. You have completely replaced all the fifteen bridges along this road and provided side drains on both sides of the road to allow the proper disposal of rain water so that the road is not easily damaged. I wish to thank you on behalf of the United Nations and on behalf of the people of Liberia," she added.
The UN envoy hoped the rebuilt road would provide the communities a new beginning to revitalize the entire county and also help the people to engage development, trade, education and agriculture.
"There is no excuse, ladies and gentlemen, for not growing fruits and vegetables on your land," SRSG Løj told the local communities of Madina.
"You have a road and you can get your produce to Monrovia and sell it."
UNMIL Pakistani Military Commander for the area (Sector II) Brig.-General Ghulam Murtaza said another road rehabilitation work will commence shortly at the Guthrie Rubber Plantation after which work will start on the Tumbanburg-Gbarpolu, and the Bopolu-Yealla-Belle roads.
He added that UNMIL's PAK-ENGINEERS are maintaining 407 km road in their controlled area.
"We are also rehabilitating a 58-km road between Saint Paul River and Zorzor in Lofa County," Gen. Murtaza added.
Assistant Grand Cape Mount County Superintendent for Development Dao Fahnbulleh thanked UNMIL and the Pak-Engineers-9 company for rehabilitating the road, and assured that the county's administration will take charge of the road and do all it can to maintain it.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 The NEWS. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
