Officers to investigate restoration authorities

National, Normal
Source:

The National,Friday 09th December 2011

By JEFFREY ELAPA
OFFICERS from the Department of Inter-Government Relations will investigate the use of funds allocated to Northern Restoration Authority and the Manam restoration and resettlement authority.
This was revealed by the Minister for Inter-Government Relations Mark Maipakai during question time in parliament yesterday.
Former fisheries minister and member for Middle Ramu, Ben Sembri had asked what the government was doing to address the resettlement exercise for the displaced Manam islanders living in care centres in Bogia and to stop the continuous ethnic clash over land and food.
He said a lot of people continued to die as a result of ethnic clashes between the islanders and the mainlanders.
Maipakai said there was an ad hoc planning in place and that the issue had never been addressed over the years.
He said he needed to find out the funds earmarked for the relocation and had sent his officers to investigate and report back to him.
Maipakai said the same would be done to Northern on the use of funds and the overall implementation of the restoration programme in the province after it was devastated by Cyclone Guba.
He said a report would be tabled in parliament as soon as it was completed.