Construction company abandons work, fails to pay workers

 A CONSTRUCTION company engaged to build the Sapa Bridge in Morobe patrol post, Huon Gulf, abandoned work without paying its labourers.

Huon Gulf district administrator Robin Bazinuc said yesterday that Hallmark Structure Works (HSW), owned by Tiaga Giwawa, was paid K118,000 to build the bridge last December.

Villager Eware Israel said last Saturday at Sapa village that the work was left incomplete without the local workforce being paid their dues.

“Giwawa told the labourers he would buy and sell betel nuts to make enough money to come and settle their wages,” Israel said.

The bridge is at least 50m in length and connects Yekora and Suena to Zia and the Mawae, Binandere areas.

 Israel said local labourers were engaged to carry gravel using bags and wheelbarrows from Tumo titi, almost 200-300 miles away from the construction site.

“Giwawa has dishonoured and tarnished the Huon Gulf joint district planning and budget priority committee and administration’s name.

“The administration has paid K118, 000 to Giwawa … that is a lot of money. Last month the district again released another K3,000 and by then the work should have been completed,” Bazinuc said.

He will travel to Sapa tomorrow to verify the job including incomplete projects at new Morobe technical high at Parogira.

He said such contractors with very little to no equipment should not be entertained anymore as they wasted government money without providing required services to people, tarnishing names of leaders and the administration.