The Citizen (Dar es Salaam)
Paul Dotto
8 July 2009
The Dar Rapid Transit Agency (DART) has denied reports that the Dar es Salaam City Council is demanding a Sh600 million annual fee to allow the use of Ubungo terminus.
Speaking exclusively to The Citizen, DART Chief Executive officer Mr Cosmas Takule said that the Agency has yet to receive such payment inquiry from the DCC.
Mr Takule denied existence of any wrangle between the City Council and the project insisting that there is no way they could bicker since they are all under a government roof.
"I assure you that there are no such compensation demands. Even if there were any, there are appropriate procedures to be followed," said Mr Takule.
"When the City Council Mayor was consulted he also said he was not aware of such a matter. We are going well with our plans on the line," he said.
Mr Takule response comes hardly one week after a daily paper (not The Citizen) reported the existence of 'serious wrangles' between the council and the Agency on how to allocate some Council resources to the project.
The media report further said that councillors want DART to pay compensations amounting to Sh600 million for its expected use of part of the Ubungo bus terminal, although the city mayor.
The City Mayor, Adam Kimbisa, also said he was unaware of the said conflict.
Meanwhile, the DART CEO maintained that the project was going on smoothly and plans would be implemented as scheduled. He said DART will become operational next year as planned earlier.
"We have already floated various tenders in regard to the project this is a step forward on implementing our plans," he said.
However, Mr Takule expressed his concern is over the more than 70 families at Gerezani area in Ilala municipality, who are among the people to be affected by the project.
He said they have yet to give a way because of their unresolved conflict with the Tanzania Building Agency (TBA).
"But we are not behind schedule due to that dispute, we believe that the problems will be solved sooner than later to enable implementation of then project," he said.
The rapid commuter bus service in the city under DART, which was to be implemented since 2007 is also funded by the World Bank that is reported to have had already authorised more than Sh200 billion for the project.
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