HOUSING and Infrastructure Development Minister Ronald Chitotela has warned that government will blacklist contractors who will not go back on site after being paid money owed to them.

Several road contractors had downed tools after government defaulted in its payments.

But speaking on Radio Phoenix’s Let the People Talk programme today, Chitotela said government had so far released K1.2 billion to pay contractors for road projects across the country and ordered them to resume works.

“I want to warn all contractors mostly to local ones to get back to site and finish up all the works. I have asked the Road Development Agency to do the cost analysis in order to ensure that what was paid to them by government is equivalent to the works done,” Chitotela said.

And reacting to most callers who wanted to know what the PF government was doing about the poor road and drainage systems in Lusaka, Chitotala said government would channel proceeds from toll gates towards improvement of road network and drainages.

“The introduction of toll gates is not for us to kill the people but it will help us carry out road maintenance using the funds collected. We have so far opened the account specifically for the road maintenance,” he said.

Responding to another caller who wanted to know the situation of Mansa Batteries and Mulungushi Textile in Kabwe, Chitotela claimed Mulungushi Textiles was in operation and that it was slowly picking up.

“Mulungushi Textile is in operation and I must state that it is slowly picking up. As for Mansa batteries, our major problem has been power system. We need power to support the industry and government through the Ministry of Energy is working toward that,” said Chitotela.