SHP treasuries idle, says officer

 By JAMES APA GUMUNO

THE district treasury roll-out in Southern Highlands is not working and not serving the people.

A district treasury officer from Koroba-Kopiago electorate told The National on Monday that public servants in the districts were getting paid for doing nothing.

Eric Piko said the eight district treasury offices were not fully operational.

He said the concept was good but not when funds like the district support improvement programme and other funds were not being channelled into the district levels. 

He said there were many claims piling up in the offices but there was no money for payouts.

He said the whole idea behind the programme was to bring vital services to the doorsteps of rural people.

Piko said many district treasury staff resigned to work in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) project because they had been wasting their time doing nothing.

He said unless funds were dispatched directly to the districts, they would not be working.

He appealed to the local MPs, provincial administrator and provincial treasury to make sure district treasury offices were functioning effectively and efficiently.

Piko said these offices must be seen to be helping people in the rural areas instead of having to travel into provincial headquarters to look for financial services.

He said when more money was circulated in the district it would help business activities and improve people’s lives.