East New Britain establishes 10 new LLG wards

East New Britain (ENB) has established 10 new local level government (LLG) wards to ensure more Government presence at the community level, a politician says.
Gazelle MP Jelta Wong said the increasing rate of population growth, infrastructure development and business activities in ENB had prompted the provincial government to create more wards to distribute services equally to the people. Wong, the Health and HIV/AIDS Minister, said this during the presentation of ENB LLG boundaries review report to the Government in Port Moresby yesterday. He said a rapid population growth over the last two decades had put challenges on services to LLGs in the province. Wong said people were not fairly represented and left out in terms of basic government services as some large, but, isolated LLGs needed to be divided and funded.
He said the establishment of new LLGs would help the ENB government to plan where and when to deliver services in the long term.  According to the provincial government, the proposed LLGs to be separated were Toma-Vunadidir; Livuan-Reimber; Lassul-Baining, Gazelle; Central-Island, Pomio; and, West Poimo-Mamusi, Poimo. The five new LLGs created would bring the total number to 23 from the 18 established in the province. Meanwhile, Inter-Government Relations Minister Pila Niningi said for the country to be developed, plans needed to focus on the LLGs and wards. “ENB government has led the way to do a proper and orderly reports on the creation of new LLGs to bring development to the ward areas,” he said. Niningi said his office would analyse and assess the East New Britain local level government boundaries report and present it to the National Executive Council for approval later this year.