City programme leaving families homeless: Resident

THE National Capital District Commission’s (NCDC) urbanisation programme along the 9-Mile quarry has left residents affected by the demolition.
People living in the settlement were evicted with properties being demolished starting last week.
Although the suburb programme was a facelift for the settlement, the communities raised concern about the lack of assistance provided by NCD Governor Powes Parkop to those who were affected.
A longtime resident of the area, Kombul Kuima, applauded Parkop for the initiative, however, he said the main issue was resettling the families affected by the eviction and demolition exercise.
“We have no food, power and water for those families affected,” he said. “Our children cannot go to school.”
According to Kuima, a week had already gone by and still there was no relief assistance from the NCDC.
Other families living in the area also lost their properties and were living without food or shelter.
Meanwhile, Moresby North-East MP John Kaupa said this was the first project in his electorate to modernise a settlement into a suburb.
“We are trying to give homes to the people but, in the process, we must not make them homeless,” he said. “More than 18 houses have already demolished, making over 200 people homeless.”
Kaupa said people’s lives were important and the NCDC needed to consult his office for an amicable solution before demolishing homes.
He said NCDC should stop being ignorant and work in partnership with his district administration for a way forward.