Morobe bridge to be rebuilt

 By WAIE DAWAI

THE construction of a new Sapa bridge in the Morobe patrol post area has been recognised by Huon Gulf MP Ross Seymour.

Morobe local level government council president Michael Gape last week revealed that K500,000 was approved by the joint district planning and budget priority committee  for Sapa bridge in 2010.

However, Gape said that the slackness of the district administration has delayed the entire progress of the work to be done on the bridge and some of the monies were deviated to the Hotec-Yamap road in Salamaua LLG.

The bridge was washed out to the sea during a flooding in 2004. 

This caused a lot of inconvenience for the travelling public and government services to be delivered on time.

This year, the local MP, when coming into office, has done the project review and awarded K360,000 to Markham Culverts for a one lane, 28m length bridge equipment. 

Early this month, a civil engineer Giuawa Tiaga and the owner of Hallmark Structures Works received K127,000 and started work on the new bridge.

“Since becoming president in 2007, I had tried to acquire funds from the government but was totally ignored through the government ranks and political interferences,” Gape said. 

The president said the money given is not enough and he will be putting a new submission for additional funding for the completion of the bridge.

“Our country has reached a decisive point in its march toward political democratisation, economic liberalisation, and social pluralisation,” he added.

Gape said the government and all the sectors of society should adopt an open-minded an attitude and seek `for the widest possible consensus on the country’s future.