Flight subsidy to help rural communities

By SERAH LAGDOM
PEOPLE in the Middle Ramu electorate of Madang will now benefit from a K300,000 flight subsidy.
The Member for Middle Ramu, Jonny Alonk during the presentation of the cheque to Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) in Mt Hagen recently, said the flight subsidy would benefit people in four
local level governments (LLG’s) which included Arabaka, Josephstaal, Kovek and Simbai.
Alonk said, he saw the need of his people and it was best to addressed this with MAF. Also, he was supporting Rural Airstrip Agency (RAA) to build and maintain more airstrips in the Middle Ramu Electorate.
He said the subsidy would cover only air fares of the community at large and public servants in the Middle Ramu Electorate. The contact agreement between the Middle Ramu District Development Authority and MAF was for a year and if the funds were not fully used it rolled on to the next year.
Alonk gave the same amount last year for flight subsidy that enable MAF to reach isolated people in Middle Ramu.
“I am looking forward to RAA to do surveying to build the Arabaka and Josephstaal airstrips that will benefit from the subsidy soon.
“As for Simbai, MAF flights to the area happens seven days a week.
“Since they are no road link to the Middle Ramu area, we are looking at ways in developing the airstrips to serve the people.
“People travel by road from Western Highlands to Baiyer then to Ruti and walked to Simbai.
“If they go by Madang, then they travel by road to Usion and then by dinghy to Ramu and Aiom,” Alonk said.
The flight subsidy of K300,000 came from the governments District Support Implementation Programme (DSIP) to the Middle
Ramu’s District Development Authority (DDA).