Tribe ensures services trickle down to area

By ARMSTRONG SAIYAMA
THE Turuka-Memka tribe in Western Highlands is taking charge of development in their community, councillor Wek Dokta says.
He said the people had been committed since last year to see government services reaching them.
“Our people have built a road, cut timbers with a saw to build houses and dug holes for power poles to run lines to connect electricity into our communities,” Dokta said.
He thanked Hagen MP William Duma for providing K500,000 to see development taking place in their communities.
Dokta said the lives of 3,000 people from the area were transformed after gravel was thrown on the 4km kunai grass road connecting the Highlands Highway and electricity to their villages.
He said their roads were levelled with gravel paving the way for PMV buses to travel to the villages.
“It is a big improvement for us to easily transport our fresh produce to the markets in Mt Hagen,” Dokta said.
He added that the road had enabled school children and the sick to access education and health services in Mt Hagen.
Dokta added that their village electricity project had lit up their village.
“We buy post and service lines, and we dig holes and put 38 power poles from our area right to the border of Tambul-Nebilyer electorate,” he said.
He said electricity in the village had given students the opportunity to do their homework at night.
He said the people in the village could switch on their television (EMTV) to watch their favourite teams in the NRL competition.
He said the secret of their success was community ownership and partnership.
“Our community leaders used the K500, 000 given to us in a proper way to see our people’s lives improved,” Dokta said.