Defence engineers ready to tackle Madang-Baiyer highway job

By DOROTHY MARK
Engineers from the Papua New Guinea Defence Force will resume work on the Madang-Baiyer national highway starting next week.
Middle Ramu MP Jonny Alonk announced that yesterday when he was questioned on the progress of the work which would link his home in the Simbai Mountains.
Prior to becoming MP of the district, Alonk had negotiated and engineered the highway and was well vested with the progress of the work.
Alonk said the highway construction, which began at Baiyer in Western Highlands, ended at Jimi River and the PNGDF engineers arriving next week would begin work to link Jimi and Simbai.
“The Madang Transgogol highway is in existence and would not need much work but the big work was on how to get through the Simbai mountains,” he said.
Alonk said Simbai has cash crops and fresh vegetables to supply the Madang markets but the poor transportation system hindered economic activities in the area.
“Building roads into the area is my focus now so that people who have not seen town for decades could travel out and see what a town looks like,” he said.
He said the Middle Ramu district authority has also agreed to build the district headquarters in Simbai so that basic government services reach the areas considered very remote.
According to Alonk the closed Aiome high school near Ramu River would be reconstructed to accommodate students from the Josephstaal and Arabaka LLGs while those from Simbai and Kovon LLGs would attend the Simbai high school which is under construction.
Madang provincial education director Moses Sariki said Aiome High School was shut down because students fought three years and school facilities were burnt down.
Sariki said Aiome High School was the only high school in the district and hundreds of students were affected when the school closed.