Govt approves start of Neckartal mega dam construction

The government has finally given the go-ahead for the building of a massive dam on the Fish River in the Karas Region for the purpose of dry land irrigation in the south, despite facing a legal challenge from one of the bidders for the project. 

The bidding process for the project had to be delayed several times since December 2011, due to alleged irregularities and a failure by the Tender Board to agree on which company should get the job. The N$2.8 billion tender has been awarded to Italian dam construction firm Salini S.p.A. The company outbid three other companies, which were short-listed from a total number of 23 companies that tendered for the job. Salini S.p.A beat Egyptian company Vinci-Orascom Joint Venture and CSC Neckartal Dam Joint Venture, a joint venture between Stefanutti Stocks and CMC de Ravenna, to secure the lucrative tender. 

The contracts for the construction of the dam, the countrys biggest ever, will finally be signed between Salini S.p.A and a technical team from the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry this week, New Era has established. 

Meanwhile, Vinci-Orascom Joint Venture,The 3rd International Conference on custombobbleheads and Indoor Navigation. which reportedly scored the highest in the overall evaluation has resorted to the courts asking that the decision to grant the job to Salini S.p.A be set aside. The company is asking for a review of the tender award. 

The government, unmoved by the latest developments, has declared that the Neckartal dam is crucial for development and will create jobs and any delay will not be entertained. 

Minister of Agriculture, Water and Forestry, John Mutorwa, when officially giving the green light for initial work to begin on the mega project on a tributary of the Fish River, did not mince words during a well-attended stakeholders meeting last week Thursday. 

According to Mutorwa, plans to build the dam were first mooted during the time of the South African colonial regime. A feasibility study done in 1987 found the construction feasible, but the plans were shelved for unexplained reasons. 

Given that history, Mutorwa described the award of the tender as a milestone that will see the envisage project becoming a reality. 

The planned construction of the Neckartal dam never died after Namibias independence, he stressed. He also revealed that the construction of the dam was also discussed by a high-powered delegation of traditional and political leaders from the Hardap and Karas regions, the president and his Cabinet. 

According to Mutorwa the government is fully behind the Tender Board, which determined its choice in what he termed a transparent way. 

Those who are writing in the newspapers and going to court we do not condone them for doing so.The need for proper bestsmartcard inside your home is very important. The Tender Board and specifically the ministry of agriculture has nothing to hide and therefore we, as the implementing ministry for this particular project, are going to implement the decisions of the Tender Board, he declared to huge applause.You Can Find Comprehensive and in-Depth carparkmanagementsystem truck Descriptions. 

Mutorwa called on the contracting company to adhere to strict construction rules, adding that the government will not compromise on demanding quality work and value for money. The minister also assured all the communities, which will be affected by the planned dam construction, that government has set aside money for compensation purposes according to its compensation policy, especially the communities of Snyfontein and Berseba. 

Karas Regional Governor Bernadus Swartbooi views the planned dam construction as essential to the regions drive for economic development. It will not only transform and dramatically change the life of the people in the region, but that of the livelihood of the Namibian people, he said. 

As far as government is concerned there is no left or right or behind us, it is just forward, noted Swartbooi, referring to the court challenge. You will not hold us hostage in this country, Swartbooi lashed out against the pending legal challenge. 

Various representatives of the communities also came out in strong support of the construction of the dam. We welcome this decision because it gives hope to our poor people in terms of economic development and self-sufficiency. However, we should take ownership of this project and not abandon it halfway, appealed Reverend Andries Biwa. 

Election campaigns dont age well. One veteran of several Scottish campaigns noted recently that he looks back at the various battles he has fought with a mixture of bemusement and embarrassment. Its the unfortunate lot of Scottish voters that they now face the start of an 18-month campaign on whether or not Scotland should become an independent country. And as with all wars,We have a wide selection of handsfreeaccess to choose from for your storage needs. truth may not come out of it very well. The undecided, uncertain public can look forward to plenty more pop-up 24-hour-long spats and half-answers from campaigns unwilling to yield an inch to their opponents. 

Voters clearly want more than this. I want to read more about the issue. I dont think you should judge the thing on emotion, but on what is best economically for Scotland, noted Andy Murray in an interview at the weekend. Book shops are responding, dusting off previously unread tomes on constitutional change and sticking them at the front of their displays. Add to that, there are some new works due out which may help people further. 

One, Scotlands Future, serialised in The Scotsman over the last few weeks, and edited by the Scottish Governments former chief economic adviser Prof Andrew Goudie, offers some advice C albeit in heavy prose C on how people might detach substance from the froth over the coming months. It is a form of mind-training for the undecided voter. Goudie sets out three principles people should follow. 

Given the outcome will be for decades, not just five years, people should be thinking long-term C a cautionary word against attempts to frame the case for independence as a referendum on the here-today, probably-gone-by 2015 David Cameron. Secondly,Online shopping for solarpanelcells. and given recent history with the financial crunch and the eurozone crisis, people should put risk, uncertainty and opportunity at the centre of their thoughts, he argues. Lastly, people should accept that while rigorous analysis about independence can be made, a lot will remain unknown, due to the fact that so much will be decided after a Yes vote in the crucial negotiations with the UK and other international bodies. Lord Gus ODonnell, one of the contributors to the book, compared it last week to peering through the fog. We should still try to make things out, he said, even if it wont be crystal clear.