Govt to address settlement issues soon, says Kaupa

THE Government is aware of concerns over the rise in the number of settlements in Port Moresby and will introduce a policy soon to address the issue, Moresby North East MP John Kaupa, pictured, says.
Kaupa, the minister for Housing and Urbanisation, said a national settlement development policy would soon come into effect so that settlements could be better planned and serviced to enable working people to live there affordably.
Port Moresby has 90 settlements, said the executive director of the Office of Urbanisation, Max Kep.
He said those settlements needed to be better planned and organised in order for them to be able to get services like water and electricity supplies.
For example, he said, at a settlement at Bomana, the settlers have formed an association and through that have been seeking government help to have water and electricity connected.
“There are 90 settlements in Port Moresby,” Kep said.
“We cannot fix settlements unless they are organised.
“We want to organise settlements at Taurama, put in roads, water, but they kept selling land and things went south. Everybody is building homes everywhere; how can they access services like water and electricity?”
Earlier this month, National Capital District Governor Powes Parkop said settlements and villages in the city should be turned into proper suburbs.
“My vision in this third term is to make the city, one great city. Right now, we have suburbs villages and settlements in the city. There shouldn’t be any settlements, villages. All have to become suburbs,” Parkop said.