PM: Engage independent companies

PRIME Minister James Marape wants the Works Department to engage independent and reputable engineering companies to supervise the sealing of the Mendi-Tari section of the Highlands Highway.
“The section of the highway serves more than 800,000 people in Hela and Southern Highlands,” Marape said, urging contractors to do a professional job.
“It leads into resource project areas such as Kutubu, Moran, Angore, Hides, Juha, Murua and Mt Kare but has never been sealed – despite oil and gas flowing since 1990 and Porgera producing nearby.
“I want to see machines working on the road at all times.
“I want Works Department to engage an independent engineering company, preferably from overseas, to check and audit the work of the contractors to ensure that they do a good job.
“This is the first road sealing for oil and gas landowners so I want to see a good job.”
Marape addressed hundreds of people at Margarima in Hela on Friday when presenting K30 million to contractors who had started with over 30km of road sealed.
He announced the Government and Hela government’s commitment to:

• SEAL the new Hiri-Lai Road, an alternate route to the Mendi-Tari Road, which is completed and in use but not sealed; and,
• COMPLETE the Margarima-Kandep (Enga) Road, which eventually leads on to Mendi in Southern Highlands and Wabag in Enga.