Leaders of Hela assure govt of support

LEADERS of Tari town in the Hela province have assured the government of their support and commitment in developing the township.
The leaders made this call yesterday to welcome Prime Minister Peter O’Neill and his entourage who are scheduled to arrive in the region today. 
In a joint statement, chiefs Luke Luja, of the Tiri Hodope clan, Paul Pora of Homane clan and Matthew Hebaria of Kia clan said: “Our wish, dream and vision as principal land holders of Tari town, on behalf of our people and children, is to fully support the government and we will look after all infrastructure on our land.”
The chiefs said they acknowledged the state-sanctioned infrastructural development taking place on their land and pledged to look after it for future generations.
The projects include the new Hela provincial headquarters, Tari International Airport and roads connecting Komo, Koroba and Margarima.
The leaders said they planned to build 300 new houses, a 100-room guest house and 50 rooms suitable for offices within the next 24 months.
“We are offering our land as capital and invite government and interested business houses to be joint venture partners,” they said.
“We want to be partners in all current and future developments and lease our land to Government to build infrastructure,” they said.
The chiefs said any payments made for the use of land should be done transparently and promptly.