District buys K500,000 bulldozer

By PISAI GUMAR
THE Leron-Wantoat local level government in Markham, Morobe, has, for the first time, purchased a bulldozer to maintain roads in the area.
The equipment complements the district development authority’s vision, under MP Koni Iguan, to decentralise the district works unit into the three LLGs of Leron-Wantoat, Umi-Atzera and Onga-Waffa.
Leron-Wantoat LLG president Andrew Gena and manager Mainao Sema this week took delivery of the bulldozer which cost K528,000.
Leron-Wantoat is among ranked among Menyamya, Kabwum, Nawaeb and Bulolo as the top organic coffee producing areas of Morobe but bad roads have hindered production for years.
Gena said the LLG contributed K38,000 and the Morobe government, under its roads maintenance fund, assisted with K490,000 to buy the bulldozer.
“With assistance from DDA we will further buy an excavator and a dump truck to restore our roads that will not be fixed overnight but gradually we will get there to ensure people’s mobility to access services,” Gena said.
“Iguan initiated the district works unit during his tenure from 2007-2012 and that relieved our burden. But later the unit remained defunct until his return this term.”
The provincial supply and tenders board had approved a change of scope from funding road maintenance to buying the bulldozer.
“There was a change of scope because if we maintain the roads today the rain, flooded creeks and landslips will damage them tomorrow, therefore we bought the equipment to be on the ground to continuously maintain and fix the  roads, if damaged by flood or rain” Gena said.
Iguan said that the DDA would purchase additional equipment to support the plan Gena and Sema started with provincial government.
“Gena and Sema together with provincial government are taking a positive approach to restore the economic lifeline of Leron-Wantoat and interior Teptep and Yus people in Kabwum that access the road.”