Owners, drivers call on government to fix washed away road

 DRIVERS and vehicle owners using the Highlands Highway at Mutzing in Markham, Morobe, have called on the Government to fix the damaged section of the road as soon as possible.

A section of the road was washed away last Friday morning following heavy rain.

Villagers built a temporary crossing and collected fees from motorists and commuters. They charged between K50 and K100. 

Bus driver Timothy Yaling, who provides a return PMV services along the Markham Valley from Watarais, Umi, Mutzing and Lae, said he was losing money when the highway was cut off.

Yaling, 36, and driver of the Gurux bus, said: “Many of us depend on it (road) for a living.

“Since this section of the road was washed away, I have not been able to drive to the other side like Umi to drop-off or pick-up passengers.”

Another driver and vehicle owner Charlie Kepas said he had taken a bank loan to purchase his truck to ferry people and cargo and he did not know how he would make enough money to pay off the loan.

The 28-year-old Ragimapun man from Markham said: “This (damage highway) is a big problem.

“I am now finding it difficult to transport passengers to town.”

An expatriate resident in the Highlands Eric Dupre, who was stranded on the Lae approach of the road, said the road was in a poor condition and needed repair.

“I see some work has been done but they needed to do a bit more because there’s a lot of potholes on the road,” Dupre said.

“It will take time but the important thing is to get the road back on track so that the traffic can flow smoothly.”