Authority needs funding

Main Stories

PORGERA Development Authority chairman Aken Puluku says they need K4 million to fund the Paiam Hospital and the town in Enga until the end of the year.
Puluku said the K1 million allocated to the authority by the Government had been exhausted. Half of it was used to pay the authority’s 30 employees, some of whom were expatriates.
The authority, now called the Porgera Local Level Government Special Purpose Authority, was established in 1989 after the Porgera Joint Venture mine came into operation.
Puluku said the PDA was stretched trying to keep the hospital and township of Paiam running with limited funding this year.
“We report under the Provincial Affairs and Local Level Government Department,” he said.
“They were tasked to oversee all special purpose authorities in the country including Porgera.
“For last 25 years, we have been left alone. They didn’t inspect us, the provincial government didn’t inspect (to see) whether we are okay. Our books are audited every year.
“We have been under-funded this year, we got only K1 million.
“Others got K8 million and K4 million.
“Government said no money so we had no choice. So we did what we can to keep Porgera Development Authority going.”
“We have subsidiaries one of which is the Paiam Town Management Company Ltd which manages the water sewer.
“At present the landowners have closed the tap to the main water storage as we have not paid them.”