The National, Wednesday 
 THE Government has delivered a lot of impact projects in the Lai Valley of Mendi-Munihu district, Southern Highlands, Kip Primary School headteacher Raphael Tonpi says.
Tonpi said these projects include the ADB-funded Mendi-Kandep road sealing, the Hiri-Lai road funded by the Government and the Nipa-Munihu road sealing funded by ADB.
He said Lai Valley in the past 45 years has been regarded as ‘back page’ by outsiders and people have been struggling to access basic government services.
“I would like to thank the late Hela Governor Anderson Agiru, Southern Highlands Governor William Powi, Finance Minister James Marape and Works Minister Francis Awesa for standing together to get these big infrastructures completed,” he said.
Tonpi said subsistence farmers were now able to transport their produce to markets while pastors, teachers and health workers were travelling on PMVs.
“Farmers produced only enough for family consumption in the past but today they produce in abundance while public servants and pastors who used to walk miles are now enjoying services,” he said.
Tonpi said the Lai Valley students were enjoying the new high school initiated by the provincial government.
Soon two other major roads, the Munihu-Kip road and Sumia-Pinz-Munihu, would be built.
“We believe that the Department of Works has these road under its plans. These are part of the many developments taking place in the Mendi-Munihu district,” he said.
“These projects are targeted at getting the rural population to improve their living standards.”