People unhappy machinery for roadworks sitting idle

By JIMMY KALEBE
PEOPLE in Finschhafen district, Morobe, have complained after earthmoving machinery brought into the district for road constructions were sitting idle at Gagidu.
The machines were brought into the district headquarters over a year ago and have been locked up at the Works Division yard in Gagidu ever since.
According to a person who requested not to be named, the machinery had been in the district for nearly a year now. He said roads in most parts of the district as well as those in Gagidu needed to be repaired.
Finschhafen district chief executive Glen Kiso said the hold-up was the closure of the public accounts.
“We are ready to put the machines to work together with the Department of Works but the hold back is with the public accounts,” he said.
“Once that is open, then we have to wait for Works Department to have their accounts open also so that they could access funds.”
He said Finschhafen district development authority had allocated K300,000 to help the Works Department in the programme.
“We will be assisted Works Department and PNGDF Civil Engineering to maintain and construct some major roads in the district”. Kiso said the main roads that would need attention were the Lae-to-Finschhafen, the Mape ring road and Gagidu township roads.
These came after a Memorandum of understanding was signed between the Finschhafen DDA and Works as well as the Defence Force Civil Engineering battalion.
The Defence Force under its civic action programme will assist with the construction and upgrading of some of the roads .
According to Kiso, engineers from the Defence Force and Works Department will work together.