Economy depends on roads

LINKING rural feeder roads to provincial roads and the national highway will help local economic growth and improve the living standard of the rural population, an MP says.
Mendi-Munihu MP Raphael Tonpi said some road projects which he would prioritise with the support of the Government, through the Connect PNG programme were the Sumia-Kip-Munihu, Imilhoma-Honda, Winja-Sumbol, Peyol-Imila and Ekari-Kondipa-Kalapul roads.
Some of these roads would be co-funded by the Southern Highlands government.
Tonpi said there were coffee plantations, dozens of smallholder coffee blocks and a variety of vegetable farms through which feeder roads run.
He said the district development authority (DDA) would purchase machinery and equipment to construct and upgrade the feeder roads to boost agriculture and small and medium enterprise (SME) activities.
Tonpi said there were dozens of ring roads in the district, many constructed using human labour and all were in poor conditions that needed upgrading and gravelling for PMVs to have access to villages.
The former teacher said from experience, many public servants refused to go to work in rural areas due to the poor road network and that led to low cash flow in the rural communities.
He said others were law and order issues, poverty, high rate of unemployment and restriction to education, healthcare and other basic services.
“Some very important bridges like the Komb, Injed and Imilhoma will be delivered through the department of works and highways,” he said.
“In rural communities, there are schools, health facilities, churches and struggling SMEs that are in dire need of good roads and bridge infrastructures.”
Tonpi said the district had good land for agricultural activities and he wanted people to go into coffee farming for which the DDA would provide seedlings, fertilisers, technical assistance and other necessities.