The National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ), through the Transport and Infrastructural Development Ministry, has approached Cabinet to come up with a Statutory Instrument that will make it mandatory for heavy metals and minerals to be transported by rail.
In an interview with The Herald in Gweru recently, NRZ Board Chairman, Mr Larry Mavima said they had sent their proposal to Cabinet for consideration. Said Mavima:
What we did is we went to Cabinet through the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development and requested for a special dispensation where we would ring-fence certain products to remove them from road back to rail. We hope that it will assist in the maintenance of our roads and also increase business and revenue for the railways. We were basically looking at mineral products that were being transported by road and any other heavy material. The proposal is under consideration and we hope it will have a positive outcome.
The move by NRZ comes after the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Transport and Infrastructural Development said that there is need for Government to craft a policy that will stop haulage trucks carrying heavy goods to use the country’s major highways.
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