Worry over state of Madang’s Bundi Road

By JIMMY KALEBE
THREE months have passed and there is no sign of roadwork on Bundi Road in the Usino-Bundi District in Madang despite the release of funds for the project, says an official.
Bundi local level government (LLG) manager John Kari said K3 million was a special support grant released by the Government in December to construct and maintain the Bundi Road.
“There has been no sign of roadwork,” Kari said.
He said this when helping a patient being taken from Bundi to the Brahman Health Centre for treatment.
Kari said the woman was an asthmatic who was carried by relatives on a bamboo stretcher.
They walked for three hours to the accessible part of the road to seek the help of a vehicle.
“At the moment, there are nine landslips that have blocked off vehicle access on this road,” Kari said.
“So people carry the sick, market produce and cash crops on their backs.”
He said the K3 million given by the Government should have been in used by now to clear the road.
Kari said relevant authorities need to look into this and establish where the money is and have it put to where it is intended.
He said the Bundi LLG also received more than K4 million in royalty from the Ramu Nickel Mine between January and December last year, but the LLG administration does not have funds to manage its affairs.
A local from the LLG area, David Kurame, said they were concerned about royalty grants from Ramu Nickel going to LLGs in Madang.
Bundi LLG council president David Gakana could not be reached for comment.
The inaccessible road is also a hindrance for teachers at Bundi Primary, the new high school and health workers serving in Bundi.