Mt Hagen under the spotlight

MOUNT Hagen City has been in the media almost every week.
I am saddened by that as a citizen of Western Highlands.
The Hagen Urban Council is cash-strapped to do its duty as mandated in the Organic Law on Provincial and Local Level Government 1995.
There is one strategic revenue-generating activity that needs to transfer its function or share its responsibilities.
Is Mt Hagen Market owned and operated by the Hagen Rural LLG through Hagen No. 2 Investments?
Since inception of the market,
the rural council has been making money comfortably.
It only pays land rate tax, garbage and sanitation fees to the Urban LLG when invoices are issued.
The market makes a lot of money daily.
I challenge this unfairness.
I urge the Urban LLG to look at OLPLLG 1995 carefully and propose for takings to be shared.
Otherwise the Urban LLG should take full control of the market.
At the moment the Urban LLG is waiting on grants from the National Government to execute its regulatory and enforcement duties.
It is limited because of ‘cash flow’ issues.
If Urban LLG had taken over the market, it would have been able to be financially independent.
We would have been able to curb down on littering and crime in the city, and manage essential services like roads, garbage and sewerage.

Brian Kunai
Team leader Kelori Policy Research