Rural development vital

PARTNERSHIP between the Government, organisations and people is crucial for development to reach rural areas, a member of parliament says.
Kerowagi MP Bari Palma presented a cheque for K70,000 to the Rural Service Delivery Project (RSDP) of Chimbu as part of Kerowagi’s service improvement programme (DSIP) to the Gena Waugla local level government (LLG).
The RSDP is a government funded project delivered through the Department of Provincial and Local Government Affairs (DPLGA) with the aim to improve access to basic infrastructure and services in targeted rural communities, using inclusive, participatory planning and implementation.
This would be achieved through a community-driven development (CDD) approach, emphasising the principles of transparency, accountability and sustainability.
Palma said he was pleased that one of the four LLGs in his electorate would benefit from the project.
He urged his people to work with the government and the department to ensure that the RSDP was delivered for their benefit.
He said the government needed to work with donors and other likeminded organisations to improve communities.
DPLGA representative Paterson Kassam said the projects would be implemented within the set time and budget. He said Chimbu was the last province to receive the RSDP but by looking at the support coming from the local MPs and the provincial administration, Chimbu would be the first to deliver.
Meanwhile, a four months-long tribal fight resulting in nine deaths in the Kumai Bomai LLG has come to an end when RSDP officers visited the affected villages.
A peace ceremony was organised by church and youth groups in which the RSDP provincial project coordinator Harry Agua called on the people to lay down their arms and embrace development.
He urged both factions to think about their future and their children’s future and stop the violence.