The Ministry of Transport and Public Infrastructure has stressed on the need to review the country`s laws towards the fight against road reserves encroachment.

According to the Ministry`s Director of Policy and Planning, Madalo Nyambose, it is unfortunate that despite existing laws restricting the vice, people are still encroaching road reserve boundaries by erecting structures.

Nyambose, whose officials from her Ministry appeared before the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament (PAC), told Yoneco online that the current review of the Public Roads Act of 1962 will ensure there is stiff punishment for the perpetrators.

Munthali said: “It’s unfortunate that in this country people don’t respect the laws when it comes to road reserves, ordinarily a good a citizen should acknowledge that there are laws.

“That is why at the moment we are reviewing the Roads Act so that it becomes stronger on the remedies that we can take on this matter.”

Commenting on the development, the Committee`s Chairperson, Shadric Namalomba concurred with the Ministry on the need to review what he called conflicting laws.

“Under the Roads Act they are allowed to demolish such structures but there is also another piece of legislation which is the land act which says that if a person has been on the piece of land for seven years that is deemed to be their land and surely they must be compensated so when you see the two pieces of legislation, they are in conflict,” said Namalomba.

The Ministry has however assured the Committee that it will be drafting revised Bill to address the conflicting legislation over the matter.