Bogari: Govt concerned about chancery building in Solomons

THE government is concerned about the unfinished chancery building in the Solomon Islands and is committed to see its completion, Foreign Affairs and Trade acting secretary Lucy Bogari says.
Bogari said that when expressing disappointment over a recent media statement over the building project in Honiara.
She said the report published in the Post-Courier last Thursday lacked any verification from the Papua New Guinea High Commission in Honiara.
“The PNG High Commission chancery building project contract was awarded to Transworld Commodities, a Solomon Islands company, to undertake the project at a cost of more than K9 million but the company mishandled the project,” Bogari said.
The project began in November, 2009, and came to a standstill in July 2010.
She said work stopped with all the funds exhausted and only 35% of the work completed.
“I am further disappointed that the former mayor of Honiara provided misleading information on the size of the building,” she said.
The project was for a two-storey building to house the PNG High Commission and space for a display gallery of PNG items.
The good news was that Prime Minister Peter O’Neill committed last year in Honiara for the PNG government to complete the project, Bogari said.
 and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has made a submission to the Department of National Planning and monitoring to secure appropriate funding under the Public Investment Programme,” she said.
She said the department was confident the government would appreciate the issue of PNG’s public image in the Solomon Islands and provide the necessary budgetary support under next year’s PIP budget.