Residents urged to stop spitting on footpaths

MORESBY North East MP John Kaupa has urged Port Moresby residents who chew betel nuts to stop spitting on new footpaths and roads built in preparation for the Apec Leaders’ Summit in November.
Kaupa was disappointed to see the new roads built by the Chinese Railway Construction Company being defaced by betel nut chewers spitting.
He said there was no consideration given to the time, effort and cost involved in building the new roads which were giving a fresh look to the city.
“Our National Capital District Commission has spent a lot of taxpayers’ money to clean our city using labour as a means of creating employment for unemployed youths and women.
“Yet our city residents have not respected the city by continuously spitting the red stain on the streets and along the new roads.”
Kaupa said the NCDC had lifted a ban on betel nuts in the city because of the “hardships people in the city and the suppliers from Gulf and Central faced”.
“We built a new buai market at 8-Mile but the attitude of the people has not changed,” he said.
Kaupa said the 8-Mile market served as a one-stop shop for Central and Gulf people to come and sell their buai. The city residents then buy from them in small quantities for consumption.”
He said betel-nut trading had benefitted a lot of people.
“I am appealing to drivers and people in moving vehicles to have respect for our city and stop the insane habit of spiting betel-nut on the new roads.”