I will fix roads, says Semri

Fisheries Minister and Middle Ramu MP Ben Sembri has rejected claims that he has negelected roads in his electorate.
“I have not neglected the people and I do not carry K26 million around in my pocket to fund roads,” he said .
Mr Semri was angry about an article in this newspaper, which accused him of neglecting roads in his electorate, something he had allegedly promised to look into during his election campaign.
He said the Bogia – Josephstall road has about three quarters of it in the Bogia electorate while the other quarter in his electorate and was a provincial government road.
Mr Sembri said the road was a provincial government funded road and his office and the member for Bogia John Hickey’s office could only counter-fund the construction and maintenance of the road.
He said K1 million- worth contract was ready to be awarded to a construction company to carry out the scope of work to present it to the office of Rural Development for funding.
Mr Sembri said the provincial government had allocated the funds but was still waiting to identify a reputable contractor to do the job.
He added that the provincial government does not want to give away money to companies that are unreliable and therefore, the money is still being held back to identify a reputable contractor.
Mr Sembri and the provincial government has not neglected the people but it is the government system that is delaying all the progress of development like the road work in his electorate.