Hela roads to be upgraded

 THE Hela provincial government last week launched two road projects – the Kupari Piwa-Kela road and the third section of the Tari-Ambua road.

The 8km Kupari Piwa-Kela road upgrading will cost K2 million and the Tari-Ambua road will cost K9 million.

The Central Supply and Tenders Board awarded the contracts to Curtain Brothers.

Hela Governor Anderson Agiru told the people to remove obstructions within the 20m corridor on both sides of the road and on road shoulders.

He warned that those who failed to do that would find their properties destroyed without any consideration for compensation.

“Parliament has passed an Infrastructure Protection Act which gives police and contractors the authority to remove any building, stores or gardens within the road corridor,” Agiru said.

“The road corridor is for service lines such as water and electricity. 

“Hela must not emulate their friends and brethren along the Highlands Highway who have developed this form of trickery into an art form over the years.

“As a new province with much development work to be done, I want full co-operation and good examples shown by the people. I will not tolerate trickery or mischief.”

The provincial government compensates people residing or had gardens and cash crops at locations where roads were built long before surveys were done.