Chimbu not happy with handling of limestone project

THE Chimbu government is concerned over the manner in which Minister for Commerce and Industry and Chuave MP Wera Mori is handling the Chimbu Limestone Project.
Governor Michael Dua told The National yesterday that a first lot of funding amounting to
K8 million released by the national Government for feasibility studies in 2015 and 2016 were used up by so-called “consultants” without any reports.
“A funding of K8 million was released in 2015 and 2016 for feasibility studies of the mine but to date, there is nothing to show,” he said.
“This brings to question the motive behind the establishment of Elimbari Lime Ltd, a new company to manage preliminary stages of lime production in the province.
“The company was created by the same people who created the defunct Simbu Limestone Development Corporation (SLDC).”
Mori recently appointed geologist Kohn Digan as interim managing director of Elimbari Lime Ltd.
Digan was the principal consulting geologist to SLDC, however, according to records from the Investment Promotion Authority (IPA), Digan is also a director of the company SLDC.
Other directors include Digan’s brother, Joel Koma, Clement Waine, former Chimbu governor Noah Kool and provincial administrator Joe Kunda.
The company secretary is Lilly John, who is the daughter of John Digan. The shareholders are Joel Koma, Noah Kool and Clement Waine.
Dua said the creation of SLDC and Elimbari Lime Ltd was done by the same people.
He said there was a need to do things openly and transparently.
“Why I am saying this is because we have a total of K8 million used up under the company SDCL between 2015 and 2016,” Dua said.
“There never was an official document of a feasibility study being done or a report on the use of the funding that was to have been furnished to the provincial and national governments.
“The Government has allocated K5 million to the limestone project this year, with K2 million already released by the National Planning Department.
“I don’t want our people in the province to be misled. We need to do things transparently.
“I will call for a report to be produced to my office immediately on the use of the first funding of K8 million.”
In other Chimbu news, the agricultural potential of Karimui-Salt Nomane is slowly but surely about to be realised through infrastructure investment in roads and bridges that will increase access to transport for markets.
“The district has potential for growing coffee, peanut, cocoa, spices and other crops,” said Kunda.
“People are already growing cocoa which has a very good price.