Authorities play blame game as rubbish piles up

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THE blame game between the Hagen Urban Council and Hagen Two Investment is the cause of a growing rubbish pile outside Main Market in Mt Hagen.
The piling garbage outside the multimillion kina Australian government-funded market is stinking and an eyesore.
Andreas Kulda, from the Moge Nambka clan of Kaiwe village in Mt Hagen, described the rubbish as “disgusting”.
Kulda, who is also a landowner of Hagen city, said it was about time authorities stopped passing the buck and got on with the job of cleaning the mess.
He said it was in a major way contributing to the image of the city.
“Hagen market serves the region and even the mine and gas sites,” he said.
“I totally condemn the rubbish pile outside the market,” Kulda said.
He said it was starting to become a health risk and was creating a foul smell.
Acting city manager for the Hagen urban LLG Peter Noki told The National that what remained outside the market was the responsibility of the market management.
Noki claimed that the market had contractors who were paid to clean the market.
He said his office needed the support of the market management to use manpower.
Noki claimed that the market management did not even pay the garbage collection fees and that was a major problem.
“What the management should do now is to divert funding to the Hagen council so that I can use the resources and manpower to remove rubbish,” Noki said.
He said he was using youths to clean the city and they could assist if funding was guaranteed by the market management.
General manager of Hagen Two Rex Punim brushed aside Noki’s claims by blaming the market management.
Punim said the market sold only garden food and what was outside the market belonged to the town council.
“This market produces organic rubbish but are cleared and then dumped,” Punim said.
“The market management is not responsible for what is outside the market,” Punim claimed.