Dodoma braces for demolitions

Dodoma petty traders and food vendors collect some of their belongings shortly after the Railway Asset Holding Company (Rahco) yesterday demolished hundreds of makeshift business buildings located in the  central railway line reserve area. PHOTO | SHARON SAUWA

What you need to know:

· EXTRA TIME: Rahco has given the municipal time to relocate the Heroes Tower and the main bus stand 

Dodoma. Several famous structures, including the Mashujaa grounds and the main bus terminal, are earmarked for demolition here to pave the way for construction of the standard gauge railway line.

The Rahco Public Relations Officer, Ms Catherine Moshi told The Citizen yesterday that plans were underway to demolish the Dodoma’s famous Mashujaa grounds, which, along with other structures, lie within the reserved railway area.

“Indeed, the grounds are located along the reserved area, but we thought it was not patriotic to demolish it, especially due to the presence of the Heroes’ Tower. We have communicated with the municipal authority and gave them enough grace period to relocate it,” she said. She said, considering the historical potential of the grounds to the country, they (Rahco) have decided to give time for the Dodoma Municipality and the regional government to find an alternative place to relocate the grounds.

Similarly, Rahco has also given a grace period to the Municipal Council to find the best place to relocate the main bus stand to.

Already, a number of structures have been demolished during the exercise that started on Saturday involving at least 487 make-shift business structures and 128 houses that were built along the Jamatini Commuter Bus Stand, Sarafina Market and Dodoma Bus Terminal.