Satellite towns

I CALL on the Government to develop satellite towns in the country to increase internal revenue of provinces.
As a public servant from Jiwaka, I see that Government intervention is required to unlock the potential of towns like Maprik, Ialibu, Bulolo, Bialla, Kikori and Banz, to name a few.
These towns have the potential to generate internal revenue for their provinces.
For example, our town at Banz meets the requirements to become a major town if a town authority is established.
Right now, Banz has no town authority. Business activities are booming.
Cash flow is very high, but whether businesses adhere to building board requirements, we do not know.
In terms of generating internal revenue, most of the business activities are concentrated in the informal sector.
The informal sector does not pay rent, electricity bills or business tax.
The population of Banz is very high.
It is a bustling town that needs proper planning.
This applies to the other towns around the country.
Government must allocate funds apart from urban development plans for these satellite towns.
Government can allocate
K10-20 million for the development of satellite towns every two years. Even though district MPs receive K10 million a year, they never allocate any money for satellite town development.
MPs know that they have no base vote in satellite towns.
People from all parts of the district and country live in towns, so they just concentrate on their tribal groups and neglect these towns.
This is very discriminatory.
The towns are developed by the businesshouses, not MPs.
For that reason, Government must allocate seperate funding for satellite town development.
Satellite towns can address the issue of increase in migration of people into the major towns.
Public amenities in satellite towns like water, sewerage, and town authorities are very important components and must be established to attract investors.

Samuel Kaman
Banz