Picture: Bad road conditions are halting transportation and business progress yet the K780 million stolen from the Finance Department could have paid for 80 sealed double lane feeder-roads and more.
Below is an article in today's newspaper depicting long winding qeues in Madang town, one of the big provinces in Papua New Guinea. Traffic jams are common every morning because the deteriorating main roads are becoming a sore eye and a hazzard to many drivers. Roads are pothole infested, bitumen is gone and travelling on it has become very uncomfortable for residents. Why is nothing being done to upgarde, expand and seal these roads for commuters to use? This terrible raod conditions have become a social and economical hazard as many school children and workers are arriving late to school and work and it is costing them wasted time. It is disgusting to view that we are facing this (fixable) problem and tax payers are suffering even everyday.
Why is it that we continue to let our people suffer after more than K780 million in public monies was stolen... through false compensation claims from the Finance Department (as found in the 2010 Finance Commission of Inquiry). No one has been prosecuted and yet we continue to let our people and communities endure experiences that could have been prevented, like a total overhaul of expansion and sealing of these roads (and more in other areas of PNG), if money entrusted was properly used.
Madang will be hosting the 2018 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference in Papua New Guinea and it is our hope that the roads are fixed for our ordinary faithful tax-paying citizens to use before the delegates red-carpet a brand new one come 2018.
Prosecute those Implicated! Recover the money! Fix our roads!
Poor Roads cause daily traffic Jams
Source: The National
Madang town roads need repairing, upgrading and expansion before the 2018 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference in Papua New Guinea, an official says.
Madang provincial Works director Hood Kasas said traffic in Madang had increased and become a great concern to the public and his office.
He said ministers from other Pacific countries attending the conference in Madang would not enjoy the road conditions and traffic jams there.
“It would be a slap on the face of us Madang people and our MPs if we don’t have good roads for our international visitors,” Kasas said.
He said Madang was experiencing “very heavy traffic jams” between 7.30am and 9am every day along the Modilon Road starting from the Handy Mountain to the Modilon Shopping Centre.
Kasas said the judge at the Madang district court nearly charged him last week with being late in court because he was delayed in a long queue.
“School children and teachers and workers are going late for classes and work and it is something all political leaders of this province need to really consider,” he said.
Kasas urged Madang MP Nixon Duban and Governor Jim Kas to see that as a serious need for the province and to address the matter.