The Minister of Public Works, Transport and Communication (MOPTC) Gastão de Sousa said in 2016 the government allocated more than $4 million for the maintenance of roads and bridges within the country.
He added the government has already identified the roads and the bridges that will be maintained.
“We will work on it this year,” said Minister Sousa in Dili.
He said also that even though the work won’t be complete in 2016, that in 2017 the government will allocate more funds to complete the works.
Minister Sousa said that in 2015 there was no budget allocation for the maintenance of roads and bridges and as such no maintenance work was undertaken last year.
Meanwhile Member Commission of E (for Infra-structure, Transport and Communication) Member of Parliament MP Manuel Castro said the $4 million allocation will not be enough for the maintenance of roads and bridges.
“The $4 million are not enough and the government should make a list of the national roads to be maintained,” said MP Castro.
He also urged the government to consider requiring companies to issue maintenance warranties.
“For instance, the construct a road and it should come with a 20 year warranty so that every three years they come and do maintenance work on the road as part of their obligations,” added the MP.
