LLG seeing developments

A NUMBER of projects, including the Tinkoris Hospital and staff houses, are taking shape in the Matalai LLG of Namatanai, New Ireland.
Among them are road upgrade from Porpop to Hilalon Ples and completion of the Uiam Bridge re-assembling.
The Department of Health cleared Tinkoris Hospital to service Namatanai.
It will have a maximum of 40 staff, including doctors, nurses and an administrative manager.
China Harbour Engineering is the building contractor and Zenith Construction is building four doctors’ houses and two nurses’ apartments.
The project is expected to be completed this year.
New Ireland Governor Sir Julius Chan said: “We don’t do things because they are easy.
“We do them because they have to be done no matter the obstacle.
“That’s what we did with the Poronbus by-pass, we broke through the mountain and we are doing it again with the building of a world-class hospital here in the Matalai LLG and the continuous maintenance of roads and bridges. Nothing is impossible if you dare to believe in yourself,” he said.
Local leader John Togil, on behalf of the community, expressed appreciation to the New Ireland government for the transformation taking place. “Our landscape keeps changing every day. Before we used to dream and talk about development, but today it is actually happening right before our eyes,” Togil said.
“The type of development taking place here is extra-ordinary and looking into the future. Our new roads and hospital will benefit everyone in the LLG and Namatanai as a whole. We thank the New Ireland government for these development initiatives,” Togil said.
Meanwhile, the locals are calling on the Namatanai MP and the district administration to play their part in fixing many defunct infrastructures such as the Punam Bridge with K5 million given by the prime minister in December.
The bridge was damaged by logging operations.
“We thank the government for replacing the bridge at Marr (Pita -Yeun Ming). Logging companies should be made to pay for all this damage,” Togil said.