Deputy Minister of Energy and Minerals Medard Kalemani said all projects under REA were fully funded, with wananchi required to pay only 27,000/- as service and connection charges.
He said even for Tanzania Electric Supply Company Limited (Tanesco) implemented projects, the connection charges are 177,000/- and 272,000/- only for rural and urban customers, respectively.
The deputy minister was responding to a supplementary question by Daimu Mpakate (Tunduru South—CCM) who sought the government clarification over contractors in his constituency whom he accused of demanding between 200,000/- and 300,000/- to connect customers with REA electricity.
Answering the main question, Dr Kalemani said execution of the second phase of REA project in Tunduru district is scheduled for completion by the end of this month. Works under the project include construction of a 293.2 kilometre, 33kV transmission line, construction of 76.1 kilometre, 0.4kV line, installation of 38 transformers of different sizes and connecting 3,330 initial customers.
The deputy minister said the project is completed by 79 per cent, with construction of the main and small transmission lines completed by 83 and 74 per cent, respectively. The project has also installed seven transformers and connected 182 customers to electricity.
The entire project to supply electricity in Ruvuma region costs 32.56bn/-, out of which the contractor has already been paid 27.22bn/-, which is 83.6 per cent, the minister said.
However, REA is waiting for evidences from the contractor before effecting payment for the 3.19bn/- claims.
The legislator, in his question, had decried the snail pace of implementing the REA projects in Tunduru due to non-payment, demanding to know when the government will release the money for the projects.
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