CPL wants safety assurance

By PETER ESILA
THERE is a shortage now, but remaining supermarkets like Stop N Shop in Boroko and Waigani Central can open today but need Government assurance for safety, says City Pharmacy Ltd Group chief executive officer Navin Raju.
“People are desperate to get groceries, buy rice. Where are they going to get it from?”
Raju said it took three months to get stocks.
“In January, we are buying for March. All of this is going to create a huge shortage in the market, look at north-west, you do not have any supermarkets in the Gerehu area now.”
CPL shops burnt included Hardware Haus and SNS North Waigani, Rainbow, part of Badili as well as looting of Harbour City SNS.
Raju said about 20,000 customers were served in these four shops every week.
“The rebuilding process in the country is anything from 12 months to two years, that is for the three shops burnt.
“With Harbour City, we’ve already started the cleaning process.
“Yes, we have got four shops down but we’ve still got four others that we can service Port Moresby with, to supply some of the essential food and medical supplies required,” Raju said.
“At the moment, when someone gets sick, where are they going to get the medicine from, everything is shutdown but we need assurance from the Government (for safety) and we are ready to open tomorrow.”
Raju thanked the public, volunteers and “buai sellers” who stood with the security guards to protect the Boroko and Waigani Central SNS.
“There has been many support from the people, organisations, churches and individuals, who want to help us with our clean up, we appreciate all your words of encouragement and support at this time.”

Chaos was ‘rude-awakening’, says Sir Mahesh

CITY Pharmacy Ltd founder Sir Mahesh Patel says the chaos in the country was a “rude awakening” to access the wrongs in the country as it turns 50 next year.
He said in Port Moresby yesterday that those involved in the looting and burning of four Stop N Shop shops and Hardware Haus should face prosecution.
“If you have to rate in what I have seen in 40 years, this would be 10 out of 10,” he said.
“Most of our staff are still on the payroll, it is a huge humanitarian call for us. 500 staff.
“We can’t tell them to stay home, they thrive on the job, this is their daily meal.
“What happened in Port Moresby is unacceptable.
“98 per cent of the people are good, but the two per cent are what I call idiots.
“They have not only entered our stores and multiple locations of other businesses but to do damages and put buildings on fire, I can’t understand what they will achieve, they have really broken down the fabrics of our society.
“We are going out lobbying to investors to come to PNG and these guys are putting us back, they must be held accountable.”
Sir Mahesh said CPL staff throughout the country had stood out as its greatest asset.
“I would like to ask the culprits.
“We are a resilient company but what about all our farmers that we have developed over the last 10 years?
“This is the toughest financial time of the year, it is January, because school fees are due.
“What should I tell my farmers and SME suppliers in Goroka, Wewak and Mt Hagen and the rest of the country, that we do not know the next month onwards.
“Port Moresby along is servicing 6,000 to 10,000 patients every month with our City Pharmacy.
“As a country, we need to really look at the whole incident and turn it into a positive to say that what do we need? Where are the gaps?
“How do we fill these gaps? We keep talking about the 50 years of celebrations next year, what are we going to be proud of?
“It is a rude awakening, as bad it is, we need to learn from this,” Sir Mahesh said.