Basil: Govt keen to improve Lae city

By ELLEN TIAMU
THE government is keen to develop Lae, Bulolo MP Sam Basil says.
Basil said K230 million had been allocated to fix the city, which was the industrial hub of the nation.
Morobe province received K90 million in its budget last year, with an additional K40 million in the annual budget this year to take it up to K130 million.
The city will receive K180 million from the development budget this year, with K100 million to go towards upgrading Nadzab Airport to international status.    
More money will be allocated to Lae police, with the cementing of Lae roads to continue.
Basil said not all money for Lae roads in the past had reached the province.
Starting next year, the government plans to ensure all resource owners own their resources and the government only benefitting from taxes and fees.
He questioned why Sir Michael Somare did not implement fee-free education.
Speaking at the launch of the PNG Party provincial office in Lae last Saturday, Basil said the O’Neill-led regime was doing for the country what had been lacking in the past 10 years.
He cited fee-free education, free health care, a tax reduction for low income wage earners, tariff reductions on flour, rice and steel as government initiatives the people had been waiting for.
Basil said in the five months since they had taken office much had been done to better the lives of ordinary Papua New Guineans and this would continue.