| Sports |
On the road for better things
By JAMES APA GUMUNO
The Tambul/Nebilyer district in the Western Highlands province is
often referred to as a trouble torn area because of the on going
tribal warfare in Nebilyer Valley by a minority group.
The bulk of the people are law abiding citizens engaged in
agricultural activities which they supply to Mount Hagen.
The people work hard to cultivate their land and produce cash
crops but transporting them to big markets has always being a
major problem because of lack of roads.
Some minor work was done on the road from Tambul station to
junction of Kiripia Catholic Church and Tambul High School this
year, but people living further in were still unable to transport
their produce into the markets or bring in new supplies.
Early this year, fifteen tribes take up an initiative to upgrade
and maintain the old defunct 25-km road from Wara Bung to Marapuk
in the Tambul district.
The people start cleaning the road after waited so long for the
present and past governments to come and help
Maintain the old road built during the colonial period.
The work has already reached half way and expected to take another
three months to complete it.
The road was constructed by Late Tipu Poka when he member of the
House of Assembly in 1972 later the road become a provincial road
in 1979 serving more than 15,000 people in the Lower Kagul area.
The road was closed during 1980's and as a result two community
schools, Bonga and Immanuel along with Lobina aid post were
affected and closed.
After waiting too long for the government to help, the people
organized themselves and cleaning and upgrading the road from
starting from Wara Bung in November, last year.
According to Councilor Dami Kelua during a community working day
on the first Monday of this month in Tambul, it was an initiative
of the people get the road in good condition and allows services
to flow into their area.
All the nine councilors in the lower Kagul area agreed that every
Monday and Tuesdays are set aside as a "Community Day," where all
the people work on the road from 8am to 4pm..
The Community Day is for every body in the nine council wards to
armed with working tools and work on the road.
Men and young boys do the hard work like drainage on the sides of
the road and clear the bushes, the women went to River Kagul and
collect stones in their string bags and patch the potholes.
Cr Kelua's section of the road in his council ward was completed,
the other eight council wards maintain their sections of the road
starting this week.
The other councilors would continue cleaning the road to Marapuk,
where the road ends.
The tribes use locally available resource to fix the road.
Cr Kelua said that they had waited for the government's assistance
to come forward and but suffered at the end.
He said that now that they did their part and calling on the
government to do their part by restoring basic services into the
area with a good road network in place.
He said that people carry heavy loads and walk long distance to
Wara Bung and catch a PMV to Tambul station then into Mount Hagen
City or other province.
Mr Kelua said that no PMVs or vehicles travel into their villages,
teachers reluctant to take up their postings because vehicles
didn't travel to the two schools transports schools materials and
their belongings.
He said that after they cleared the road they saw PMV start
traveling into their villages transporting fresh vegetables and
passengers to the city.
He said that even though it's a feeder road and comes under the
care of provincial government but would not put claim through the
provincial government.
Instead, the want provincial government to come in and restore
basic services like schools and run down aid posts they had.
 
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