Infrastructure sector gets more

By JEFFREY ELAPA
OUT  of the government’s key enablers of development, the infrastructure sector received the highest allocation of K5.7 billion in the 2013 Budget.
Infrastructure was allocated K2,800,865 (48%) of the total funding of K5,795,845 while administration took K854,841, health K678,683, education K678, 494, law and justice K273,773, economy K477,745 and others K31,444 (1%).
Of the K2.8 billion, K569 million was allocated to new infrastructure investments.
They are the Port Moresby General Hospital K50 million, Port Moresby city roads K100 million, Lae city roads K100 million, Highlands Highway maintenance K80 million, PNG LNG fibre cable K55 million, Port Moresby grid development K4 million, Jackson Airport upgrade K30 million and first stage four-lane road of the Highlands Highway from Lae  to Nadzab K150 million.
The existing Infrastructure investments received K419,507 million in development funds.
The following allocations were made: transport sector support programme-AusAID K189.4 million; highlands region road improvement investment programme K130 million; road maintenance project with World Bank K30.1 million; highlands provinces road maintenances supplementary loan with AIDS K26 million; national road maintenance programme K25 million; and bridge replacement for improved rural access projects with ADB K18.9 million.
In the sea and marine infrastructure allocations of K1.7411 billion, Department of Commerce and Industry will take care of the Pacific Marine Industrial Zone (loan from China) K60.34 million and the IPBC will take care of  the Lae port project for K113.6 million.
In air transport infrastructure, a total of K169.4 million was allocated.
The National Airport Corporation will implement the Civil Aviation development investment programme of K169.4 million, while the Department of Information and Communication to manage the IGIS project for K38.5 million.
The total allocation for the entire ongoing infrastructure programmes in the country is K801.6m. These allocations are separate from the other priority infrastructure investment programmes.