Windi: People misled by info

 By FRANCIS POKA

THE Western Highlands provincial government will pay compensation for crops damaged on the highway between Togoba and Nebilyer, Works manager Mather Windi says.

He said some locals had been misled into thinking that they would also be paid compensation for the highway rehabilitation programme.

A spokesman for local landowners Tonny Paias said they were waiting to be paid K500 million allocated for the road rehabilitation programme. 

But Windi said he had no idea where that K500 million came from and who had told people about it.

He said the Highlands Highway road rehabilitation from Togoba to Nebilyer work was done by Loma Construction Company and the payment made to the locals was for the crop damaged on the road.

Windi said such false information was creating unnecessary frustration among the people.

He said anything to do with land compensation payments of such magnitude would have to be dealt with by the government and the Works Department.

He said the false information was putting pressure on his department and the contractor working on the road. 

“I want to tell the locals living along the Togoba and Nebilyer Highway that all information is misleading and false,” he said.

Windi assured the people whose crops had been damaged that the provincial government would pay for those on that section of the highway.