PNG needs housing plan

By ADRIAN MATHIAS
AN activist has called on Prime Minister Peter O’Neill to start a housing scheme to address the increasing housing needs in the country.
Peter Gary, a civil society activist, said it was good the government was evicting illegal settlers who were occupying state land but he wanted the government to also come up with plans that could accommodate those settlers.
He said the settlers also contributed to government’s tax revenue each year as bulk of them were public servants whom the government did not provide with accommodation.
“The government is trying to evict the settlers, which is good but as far as I know and I am concerned, the settlers are Papua New Guineans who are contributing to the tax revenue of this country,” Gary said.
He said the settlers owned most of the public transport including PMV buses and taxis which provided services to the entire city population including school children.
“The working class in PNG, including public servants, live in settlements because the government does not provide them with accommodation.”
He urged O’Neill to adopt and implement former prime minister Bill Skate’s goal of establishing housing schemes to meet the ever-increasing need for housing in the country.