Pora pays for bridge

 By ELIAS LARI

A WOMAN has assumed responsibility of repairing the damaged  Lel River bridge at Wurup, Anglimp, in Jiwaka.

More than 13,000 people depend on the bridge.

Elizabeth Pora, widow of the late former Hagen MP Paul Pora, said people could not transport their produce to the market or travel to Mt Hagen because the timber had rotted away, making it unsafe for vehicles to use the bridge.

Pora, who is from the area, has witnessed just how much the people have been affected and decided to dig into her own pocket to help out.

She said she would meet the cost of repairs as it was the only road link they depended on.

The other road access from Ramba Rot is no longer in use after floods in 2011 washed away the bridge there.

Pora said Kopi, Moge, Dena, Kaulga, Nopka, Roni and Mananga tribes were affected by the bridge.

She urged people to look after the bridge after it was fixed.

“I want everyone – PMV owners, truck owners and the public to cooperate so that we can maintain the bridge, which is our lifeline really,” she said.

“I cannot just sit here and watch while people are suffering. That is why I’m trying to fix it.”

Pora, from the Kopi tribe, said it was something the Government should be fixing.

Wurup-Kaip community leader Joseph Tep thanked Pora for her generosity and support.