By ANDREW ALPHONSE
THE remote and rundown Komo government station in the Southern Highlands province is now connected by satellite telephone communications.
Umbrella Joint Venture Ltd (UJV), a landowner company from the South East Mananda oil project in Komo, built the solar powered phone system worth more than K200,000 with funds from the South East Mananda memorandum of agreement (MoA) funds.
Project coordinator Ronny Baro said the equipment was installed last month and the locals had started using the service for more than a month now.
Mr Baro said there were six phone outlets with one hooked up to the new Komo district office, also constructed by UJV from Mananda MoA funds.
The other two lines were connected to Komo primary school and Kangulu Evangelical church of PNG (ECP) mission via a wireless hook-up.
He said three public phone outlets were installed at Komo primary school for the people to use. An excited school teacher John Hal called from Komo primary school to say 25,000 plus Komo people were queuing to use the new service and thanked UJV managing director Ipape Hulijeli, Department of Petroleum and Energy and local MP Francis Potape for bringing a vital service to the Komo people.
Mr Hal said UJV had allowed for ‘free calls’ for sometime and hundreds were flocking each day to the school to use the new service to call their loved ones around the country and abroad.
Mr Hulijeli said UJV would ensure that funds from Mananda earmarked for projects would be utilised to bring about many services that the Komo people have long missed out.
However, he asked the people to look after the service and do away with tribal fights and all forms of lawless activities so that more tangible development and services can be delivered to them.
Landowner chief Himari Kipili also reiterated the call for people to stop tribal fights and live in peace and harmony to enjoy more services to come from the proceeds of Mananda project.
Also last month, UJV installed the same phone service to some of the remotest areas of Komo Margarima electorate like Mt Bosavi, Walago, Hajaka Ipa and Kukupalu.
UJV has also constructed a new double classroom at Aku primary school while another new classroom would be constructed at Walagu primary school in Bosavi.
The phone numbers for Komo district office is 275 5790, Komo primary school is 275 5790 and Kangulu mission is 275 5793.