MP plans to upgrade remote LLG

 MACHINERY, equipment and 1,000 drums of fuel will be flown into Garaina airstrip in Waria in the next couple of weeks, marking the start of major rehabilitation and revival of Bulolo’s most isolated local level government area.

The Garaina government station will be the base where infrastructure development of the LLG will be coordinated and rolled out from by the district Works team following the release of K3 million district services improvement programme fund from the Finance Department.

Bulolo MP and Deputy Opposition leader Sam Basil announced this last Friday at Buang LLG before the opening of a new bridge, named the O’Neill-Marape Dinau Bridge by Opposition leader Belden Namah.

He said development in Garaina had been long overdue and much of the K3 million would cater for the development of Waria, the only LLG not connected by road to the main Bulolo highway.

Basil, who will trek into Waria to see the progress of the project after the first parliament session, said the Garaina airstrip, which catered for B-52 wartime bombers, was long enough and had the capacity to cater for large cargo planes.

There is still an outstanding K4 million DSIP fund, but Basil said several projects would be rolled out in the next few weeks.

Other important projects are the construction of two new bridges at the Wau River and Wau town and another two bridges would be built in the Bulolo town at St Peter’s and Forestry College.

Each LLG will get 6,000 spectacles for people with eye defects and more serious cases would be operated on. A new mobile eye operation theatre unit has been purchased.

“All the presidents will get a project vehicle which will help for transporting drums of fuel, equipment and other services. The LLG presidents are not just the average citizens but are the mandated leaders and should not be seen catching PMVs along with the rest of the public,” Basil said.

Waria LLG president Bill Murphy Wata, Mumeng president Okam Pato and president of Wau Rural Noel Kipindu and the acting Morobe provincial administrator Geoving Bilong hailed Basil’s initiative.