House Urges FG To Reconstruct Collapsed Chanchanji Bridge in Taraba

BEVERLY HILLS, February 13, (THEWILL) - The House of Representatives Thursday mandated its Committee on Appropriation and Works to ensure that adequate funds are allocated in the 2014 budget for the reconstruction of Chanchanji bridge, along Takum-Wukari road in Taraba State.

The House consequently tasked the Committee  to ensure proper budgetary provision for the project, in view of the critical position of the bridge to the people  plying the road.

This was the outcome of a motion jointly sponsored by Hon.

Albert Sam-Tsokwa (PDP, Taraba), alongside three other members from Taraba state, who told  the House that the bridge was first built during the colonial era .

Tsokwa informed his colleagues that the bridge had collapsed in the '70s, but had to take more than a decade before the Nigerian Army Engineering Corps fixed it in the '80s.

"This road is of significant economic importance as it facilitates transportation and other business transactions up to the Cameroon.

But the bridge has now completely and totally collapsed and is no longer usable.

"The biggest yam market in the North-east geo-political zone is located in Chanchanji and with the total collapse of the bridge, the yam farmers and traders who trade in farm products produced from this axis have all been subjected to harsh and unbearable economic conditions," he said.

He said the military personnel at Takum Barracks have been facing difficulty in executing their operations around the axis due to the collapse of the bridge  .

The two committees were mandated to ensure the provision of money for the project in the ongoing budget consideration.

SAINT MUGAGA, ABUJA.