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The Parliamentary Select Committee on Works and Housing has expressed disappointment over government’s delay to settle debts owed to Dredge Masters, the subsidiary of waste management giant Zoomlion.

Speaking after an inspection of some dredging works done by the company in Accra, the Ranking member the Committee, Sampson Ahi,  noted that the timely payment of the debts will assist Dredge Masters’ operations.

“We all need to be paid when we work so we are appealing to the government to pay. This contract is binding on the government and if it must be continued then government needs to pay the contractors.

The contract has different components, with regards to de-silting they are almost done, but the other non-dredging projects have not been done or completed because of lack of funding. I believe when they are paid it will be tackled,” he said.

Dredge Masters was contracted to dredge the Odaw drain which runs through a greater part of Accra.

It is the first company to be contracted by the government to clear the drain following the June 3, 2015, floods.

After the tour of the sites that Dredge Masters had worked at, the Parliament Select Committee praised the company for a tremendous job although payments have not been made to them since 2015.

Minister for Works and Housing, Samuel Atta-Akyea, has also praised the company for its commitment to desilting the drains even as government’s arrears pile up.

 “Companies are very commercial in character and without money, we don’t expect them to deliver. But Zoomlion and its subsidiary, Dredge Masters continue to work in the face of all these. So if there is any commendation, dredging masters and Zoomlion must be acknowledged for their services,” Mr Atta Kyea said.

He acknowledged that the dredging of the Odaw River is capital intensive, but even though these companies are owed huge sums, they still continue to work because of the human dimension they have attached to their work.

“It is in the light of this that, they must be supported to continue giving us the services we need,” the Minister had said.