O’Neill: Govt focused on service delivery in remote areas

 PRIME Minister Peter O’Neill said the Government was focused and committed to service delivery to the people, particularly in the remote parts of the country. 

He was speaking at Sembirigi village, in Southern Highlands after local construction firm Civpac Ltd handed over the completed Gobe-Sembirigi road to the Government.

He said the country faced many  problems like what the people of Sembirigi had been facing for years – lack of roads, education and health facilities.

“People are in need of service. I want to see some of the missing links connected and that people enjoy the benefits of services they have been denied for too long,” he said.

He said the Gulf-Southern Highlands road was one major impact project that would connect the country by road and affect the lives of the people.

Hela Governor Anderson Agiru said the next four years would see the Highlands connected to Gulf and to Port Moresby.

O’Neill, who took the lead for the establishment of the road in his capacity as the chairman of then PNG Banking Corporation, said he was committed to completing the road before the end of this parliament.

He said the people should not continue to wait for another 10 to 15 years for the road to reach Erave.

“I appeal to you to support the contractors engaged to work on the road,” he said. 

“We will fund the road for the next two years with a yearly funding of K20 million. Therefore before this term of parliament ends, we have to complete the road. 

“The timing is right when we have our own government that is committed to service delivery to its people.”

O’Neill said the Government would award the sealing of the Malalaua-Kerema highway as a preparation for the Gulf-Southern Highlands highway.