Aviation, railway get lion share of transport budget

WORKS, Transport and Communication Ministry yesterday presented its 4.2tri/- budget estimates for the 2018/19 fiscal year, focusing on improved aviation and railway transport in the country.

The Minister, Professor Makame Mbarawa, tabling the estimates for his docket’s recurrent and development expenditures here, said 495bn/- has been allocated to final installment payment in the purchase of new aircraft for Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL).

He said ATCL will use the money to settle the balance in the procurement of the aircraft, insure the planes and train its pilots, engineers and cabin crews. In the proposed budget, which has declined by 300bn/- from this fiscal year’s 4.5tri/-, the government has apportioned 215bn/- for construction and rehabilitation of 13 airports in the country.

The beneficiary airports are Dar es Salaam-based Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) terminal III, Kilimanjaro International Airpott (KIA), Songwe Airport in Mbeya and Mwanza Airport. Others are Mpanda in Katavi, Mtwara, Arusha, Kigoma, Tabora, Sumbawanga, Shinyanga, Bukoba and Msalato in Dodoma.

Prof Mbarawa told the house that 7bn/- has been set aside for the purchase of four radars to be installed at JNIA, KIA, Mwanza and Mbeya airports.

The radar supply and installation, he said, aim at intensifying safety and security at the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority’s (TCAA). Under the presented budget, the aviation sector in the country tipped to have Automatic Weather Observation System, Automatic Terminal Information Services, 13-Xray machines, fire fighting vehicles and CCTV cameras.

The government will also spend 13bn/- for construction and repairs of various ferries, including Kigamboni in Dar es Salaam, Chato-Nkome, Nyamisati–Mafia and Lindi- Kitunda. Tanzania Meteorological Agency (TMA), if the budget sails through, will get 13.5bn/- for procurement of three weather radars and 2.5bn/- for the construction of TMA centre in Dodoma.

The government further plans to spend 1.4tri/- for the construction of the 300-kilometre Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) from Dar es Salaam to Morogoro and 336 kilometres from Morogoro to Makutopora.

Prof Mbarawa said 1bn/- has been allocated for the feasibility study of the 371-kilometre Isaka-Rusumo SGR project, which Tanzania and Rwandan governments will execute jointly.

The budget estimates show that 1.5bn/- has been allocated for completion of the feasibility study on construction and improvement of Dar es Salaam Commuter train that will pass through Pugu to JNIA to Mbagala Chamazi-Luguruni Kibaha to Bunju and Bagamoyo.

Prof Mbarawa said the Tanzania National Road Agency (TANROADS) will during the 2018/19 fiscal year construct 597 kilometres of roads at tarmac level, 15 bridges and maintain 72 kilometres in highways.

He said during the financial year, the Road Fund Board in collaboration with the World Bank will conduct a National Road Inventory and Condition Survey to get a clear picture of the infrastructure in the country.

“The findings will help us in planning and coming up with the needed sustainable maintenance strategies of infrastructure as well as resource allocations according to demands,” said Prof Mbarawa.