Forli halts Woodlands Stadium Works
Written by Millennium on July 27, 2019
MUSANDA CHAILE writes
FORLI Limited has halted construction works at Woodlands Stadium as directed by Lusaka City Council (LCC) to allow for thorough investigations.
In a statement, Forli limited communications manager, Chana Musakanya said the company would cooperate in the investigations and patiently wait for the outcome.
“The organisation have stopped works on the affected part as directed by the authorities, to allow for a thorough investigation to be carried out in cooperation with statutory bodies such as LCC and including the relevant sub-contractors,” Musakanya said.
On Wednesday, Forli Limited was given a seven-day ultimatum to show cause as to why legal action should not be taken against them after LCC preliminary investigations revealed the accident that occurred last Friday was due to negligence.
LCC ordered Forli limited to suspend construction works.
Part of the building around Woodlands Stadium collapsed claiming a life and injuring two when the construction company Liege Africa tried to demolish the old walls where they intended to build a Food chain outlet.
LCC inspections indicated that Forli Limited did not have a permit to carry out demolition works.
The inspections also showed that the site was not secured by way of putting up a holding to avoid both uncontrolled movements from pedestrians and motorists.
“The developers were carrying out demolition works to allow for alterations to the existing structures without any permit from the Council. There was no safety and risk measures outlined pointing to the way the demolition would be carried out,” said council public relations manager George Sichimba in a statement
“The stability of the existing structure and that of the neighbouring shops was not assessed and therefore, posing a huge risk to workers and even to the adjacent neighbours. The existing structure of the stadium wall has developed alarming cracks which requires immediate attention,” said Mr Sichimba.