Projects to benefit remote Marawaka people

MORE than 30,000 people of Marawaka in the Obura-Wonenara district of Eastern Highlands will receive some needed government services for the first time, says Governor Peter Numu.
Numu announced that the Marawaka Station hydro project, rural roads, rural airstrip, and school projects and tuition fees for tertiary students were in the 2019 budget.
He visited the rural community by plane on Tuesday and spoke to more than 10,000 people.
Numu said the following projects were funded by the provincial government this year:

• Marawaka Station Hydro — K500,000;
• Miniyema-Marawaka Road – K500,000;
• district road improvement programme (DRIP) – K50,000;
• Tokena-Wanenara Road — K1 million;
• rural airstrip maintenance – K500,000;
• Marawaka Day High School – K240,000;
• teachers deployment to remote schools in Marawaka — K150,000;
• school fee subsidy — K3 million for all EHP students attending tertiary, colleges, technical schools including Marawaka students;
• pilot training sponsorship for one student from Marawaka by the EHPG;
• SME support for registered companies in Marawaka by EHPG;
• newly-established EHPG coffee company to buy coffee directly from locals, including the Marawaka people; at a reasonable price at the LLG level; and,
• Outstanding payment of K200,000 for village court magistrates’ allowances.

Numu was accompanied by his wife Rosiela, first secretary Solomon Tato, director for planning Peter Gare and chairman for Pastors’ Fraternal Pastor Simon Nime.
Tato made cash presentations for Marawaka Airstrip maintenance work – K10,000, Miniyema-Marawaka road maintenance – K10, 000 and SME support for fish pond projects – K600.
Numu said political and administrative arm of the Eastern Highlands government was established and the permanent provincial administrator was John Gimiseve.
He said now the province was working towards delivering.