‘Restore services’

HELA MPs have been urged to restore basic social and civil services like banking, postal, telecommunication and electricity into Tari if they want to lure in public servants to serve the people in the area.
Catholic education secretary for Mendi diocese Joe Sui, said this during the Tari Secondary School graduation last Thursday.
 Mr Sui said teachers and public servants were reluctant to come and serve in Tari despite booming economic potential for the PNG LNG project and the new Hela province as there were no proper services.
He said for years now, public servants and teachers have had to travel long distances into Mt Hagen and Mendi for their banking needs.
Currently, there is a Bank South Pacific private agency operated by businessmen George Tagobe that had been serving the people afor the past three years.
People receive and make bemobile and Digicel calls, but the services are unreliable.
 Telikom had  installed a V-Sat at Tari  Telikom exchange with only 15 trunk lines serving the 300,000 people of Hela and these become congested during  hectic  hours of the day.
He  said Hela had potential for human resource and this could only be developed through proper education.