Koiari Special Purpose Authority to help Itilaki with road

By KELVIN JOE
PEOPLE from remote villages in Central’s Koiari will now able to transport their fresh produce to Port Moresby and improve their lives, thanks to Koiari Special Purpose Authority (KSPA) which is to support their community initiative to maintain the road.
Itilaki ward councillor Philip Lumuye said more than 6,000 people in Itilaki, Kailaki and Doe had been struggling to access transportation due to negligent and deteriorated road conditions over the past 30 years.
He said the people, especially mothers and young women, would rise as early as 3am and walk for two hours with their produce such as pineapples, peanuts, kaukau (sweet potatoes) and vegetables to Sogeri Station to catch a public transport to Port Moresby to sell their produce.
“Itilaki is one of the most populated area in the Koiari local level government area with the existence of government services like primary and elementary schools and an aid post but we are still struggling daily because of the bad road conditions from here to Sogeri,” Lumuye said.
He said this when KSPA presented K20,000 to the community to continue their community work which started last year to build and maintain the road so that vehicles could drive through the area.
“We have been depending on sustainable farming to supply Port Moresby with our fresh produce over the years but to take these produce to the market was a real nightmare,” Lumuye said.
“As such, the only community aid post was rundown with no health workers while some women had given birth at home.
“These are kind of hardships we have faced every day.”
The community, through the initiative has secured about K8,500 from the Finance Department to start implementing the 8km road project.
The department also funded an additional K16,000.