Official: Daru market to be upgraded

National

SOUTH Fly District Development Authority chief executive officer Tawa Gebia says they plan to improve the Daru market.
“The upgrading of the market is in our five-year development plan. Also we have plans to develop growth centres in the four local level governments to generate economic activities and to stop people from flocking into Daru and putting pressure on the deteriorating government services,”he said.
Gebia said the market served the working population in Daru and villagers came from the mainland to sell their produce such as sago, garden food and fish.
Meanwhile, town resident Flonky Narea said the market was the main source of income for the people in the informal sector.
“That market needs to be upgraded. Our livelihood depends on that market. Not only the market but the whole government infrastructure like roads, government buildings and National Housing Corporation houses need to be rehabilitated,” Narea said.
“Daru is completely deteriorated. The town was built to cater for 5,000 people in the colonial days 60 years ago.
“But now it has about 30,000 people. And just fewer than 1,000 people are in the formal employment in private and public sectors,” he said.
The rest are unemployed, making a living through selling fish, firewood and betel nuts.