Death risk in Banab scramble

A PERSON was nearly killed and people are being charged as much as K200 a pop in the scramble to cross the Banab River after the collapse of the bridge this month.
At the stretch of river where the bridge was, a man nearly died on Tuesday during a fight over a bamboo crossing built by Banab villagers as a temporary measure, a businessman said.
Along the bypass road, landowners were charging people to go through, prompting a call for the Madang government to deal with the landowner issue quickly.
Karkar Island businessman Atis Deme said he passed through the Wasab-Banab road last week and the landowners were taking money from people who wanted to go through. One group was charging K200, he said.
“By the time you arrived at the main road, you would have paid nearly K1000,” Deme said.
He said Bogia and Sumkar people have been badly affected by the loss of the bridge.
As schools begin next week, teachers and students will need to be safe on the road, he said.
“The bypass has been created, but the government needs to discuss payments with the landowners before vehicles and passengers are allowed to use the road.”
Madang Governor Peter Yama and provincial administrator Daniel Aloi could not be reached for comment.
People are still using dinghies and canoes to cross the river where the Banab Bridge collapsed.
The villagers of Banab have built a floating crossing out of bamboo and charging people K2 to use it.
Deme said there was a fight among the Banab villagers over the bamboo crossing on Tuesday and one person was nearly killed.
He said the provincial government must deal with the landowner issue before things get worse.