Pim: Mt Hagen city council lacks funds

By TONY PALME
Mt Hagen Urban LLG manager Pious Pim says the city council cannot carry out their duties to keep the city function well city because they do not have money.
He said the new city authority set up recently by an Act of Parliament has frozen their accounts and blocked access to tax revenue collected in the city.
Pim said the city authority has stopped all their financial sources when the management of the urban LLG refused to work under the city authority structure.
“For 12 months, Jan 2016 up to Jan 2017, our account has been frozen. We cannot do our job as we used to do in looking after the city, but we have pushed on,” Pim said.
“We have money, tax revenue and administration grants, but it is locked so we can’t use it to cut grasses, clean up the rubbish or pay our workers.
“We have our own machineries but there is no fuel. We have about 200 workers but we can’t pay them.”
On clearing the city of petty crime, Pim said: “We have the police who have a duty to ensure bus stops and public places are safe for people. They can also remove the street vendors.
“But they (police) want money to do those things. So we need money.”
He said the city authority should understand the role of the urban LLG because it has been established by the Organic Law.
“We have a misconception. Our job is to clean the city and they have to make plans. We have to work together.”
Pim said the city authority had has a new structure and wanted to move everything from the urban LLG into their system.