The Ministry of Public Works and Transport has said National Roads 2 and 22 needs to be re-laid due to poor quality and warned the company that constructed them. Minister Sun Chanthol said South Korea’s Hasan Engineering & Constructions Company has been told to rebuild the roads to the standards set by the ministry after inspections were conducted last week. “Ministry of Public Works and Transport had borrowed $56.1 million from South Korea to build 7217 kilometres of roads for the people and we hoped they would last for 10 to 15 years, Chanthol said. He said the Ministry’s technical team carried out tests on the roads and found defects at nearly 1000 locations. “We have received enough complaints from the people living along National Road 2 and 22. Road users are also annoyed at the time taken for construction and the company wants four more months to complete,” he added. Chanthol said that he agreed for extra time till September this year but he doubted that work would be completed by the new deadline due to lack of machinery and outdated technology. “We began construction in February 2020 and agreed to finish by May 2022 but the construction company cited C-19 as a reason and wanted four more months,” he said. “I think the company should discuss rebuilding the roads to meet our standards instead of trying to finish the work by September,” Chanthol said. The Minister also warned other companies that poor quality construction will be rejected. The Ministry’s spokesman Pal Chandara said the construction company has not commented on the matter and said other companies involved in construction of roads should be aware of the Ministry’s requirements. Sok Vantheng, the owner of a groceries store on National Road 2, said that prolonged construction and dust pollution has affected his business. “I am not angry with Minister Chanthol because he did not expect this to happen. He wanted quality roads for the people and it is the mistake of the company,” he said.