Team tasked to rid Madang of illegals, counterfeits

THE team tasked to rid Madang town of illegal immigrants, counterfeit or foreign-labeled products on store shelves and unsafe structures will commence work as soon as the town authority gives the green light.

Deputy town mayor Chris Tomongo said a special meeting would be held next Thursday to finalise the programme for the team.

The team known as Madsafe will be headed by Tomongo with backing from the district administrator Lawrence Pitor and Madang MP and Police Minister Nixon Duban who has pledged K50,000 for the group.

The group will include an occupational health and safety officer, police, building and electrical inspectors, a labour officer, Madang urban LLG rules and health inspector and a customs and quarantine officer.

The team is made up of volunteers who have given their free time to carry out the job apart from their normal duties.

They are concerned citizens who are fed-up with the cheap, mostly counterfeit and foreign-labeled goods sold in shops.

Tomongo said a lot of the foreign-run merchant or fast-food shops sold foreign labeled goods banned under Consumer Rights and Quarantine laws which went mostly unnoticed by those supposed to be policing these laws.