Residents urged to take care of city

By JAMES GUMUNO
PEOPLE travelling into Mt Hagen still need to change their mind sets and dispose their rubbish properly, the city authority says.
Mount Hagen City Commission chief executive officer Leo Noki said everyone, including business houses, must take ownership of the city.
Noki said this after city residents volunteered to remove piles of rubbish at various sections in the city last week.
He said since March 19 to July, his office organised a major clean-a-thon involving city residents, nearby tribes, business houses, school children, churches, government agencies and non-government organisations and the city was very clean.
He said since the city authority took over the cleaning and waste management functions, street sellers, street preachers, dart boards, animals and rubbish have returned.
Noki said because of the buildup of rubbish, he organised another clean-a-thon last Friday and Saturday and the city looked clean again.
He appealed to the people from the four districts in the province – Dei, Hagen Central, Mul-Baiyer, and Tambul-Nebilyer – visiting the city daily to dispose their rubbish in bins provided.
“This is our city and we must take ownership and look after it; we can’t go to other provinces and look for services that are being provided here,” he said.
Noki said the cleanliness of the city was everyone’s job.