Wenge road remarks upset Lae business community

THE Lae Chamber of Commerce and Industry is surprised at the statement by the Morobe Governor Luther Wenge saying that the National Government is responsible for Lae roads.
Mr Wenge told a news conference this week the Morobe provincial government was only responsible for roads in the rural districts leading into Lae.
Yesterday, chamber president Alan McLay expressed the concern of the business community about Mr Wenge’s statement.
“This is an astounding statement given the fact that the Morobe provincial government has been responsible for Lae roads maintenance since the Morobe provincial government was inaugurated in 1979.
“The Lae roads are now so bad that they pose a real threat to the safety of the travelling public.
“Not only drivers and passengers are at risk but pedestrians as well, when vehicles weave to avoid the ever-increasing potholes in the damaged roads.
“The rainy season will be upon Lae soon and with it will see the total collapse of the major Lae roads if nothing is done about their repair immediately.”
Mr McLay said the Lae Chamber of Commerce was not really interested in whether the national or the provincial government was responsible for the roads as long they were fixed.
“There is a real concern that if the renowned annual heavy Lae rains bring about the collapse of the main Lae city roads, the situation in the city will be catastrophic.
“Businesses, staff and customers alike are struggling to travel to and from the stores
and factories at the moment, but further deterioration of the Lae roads would be catastrophic for the whole city.
“We call on the Governor not to walk away from the dreadful situation but to work with national politicians to find a solution,” Mr McLay said.