Highway at risk

By TODAGIA KELOLA

CONSTRUCTION of the Trans National Highway linking the Southern with Momase and Highlands regions may be jeopardised because monies appropriated to pay for these projects have been withheld by the Works Department, although the work has been fully completed.
The previous O’Neill-Namah Government through the 2011 Supplementary Budget allocated K6 million for the maintenance of a 12km stretch of the existing road and another K10 million in the 2012 Development Budget for the construction of Malalaua-Kaintiba road in the Gulf Province, which will eventually link Aseki in the Menyamya District of Morobe Province.
The then O’Neill-Namah Government had prioritised this road project as one of the key priority impact projects to link Papua with Momase and Highlands region to make this major Trans National Highway linking the country a reality.
The road construction work was awarded to SNP Construction Limited and the necessary contract papers were signed by the Company and the Works Secretary.
The company, after signing the contract, immediately implemented the work project as per the contract agreement and the work was completed and certified by the Provincial Works Manager for Gulf Province. However, when they submitted their invoices to the department for payment the Works Department has been reluctant to honour its part of the agreement.
A director of SNP Construction Limited, Henry Goare, has written numerous letters to Secretary Joel Luma but for almost seven months no feedback has been forthcoming and the company is now wondering how to sustain its operations.
“The construction of Malalaua-Kaintiba-Asek Road was facilitated by the Gulf Provincial Supply and Tenders Board and the initial road construction works commenced. The construction works includes new alignment, clearing and grubbing and felling of trees,” Mr Goare said.
“Our company has executed the above works as per the contract agreement covering almost 40km up to Kotai River.
“However, when we submitted our invoices to the department for payment for progressive works, Mr Luma advised us and the late Pitom Bombom through a letter that the PSTB Agreement was flawed and therefore the contract should be facilitated at CSTB through public tender, hence this has dragged on for too long,” he said.
“This is one of the key priority infrastructure projects of the former O’Neill/Namah Government and therefore the department shouldn’t in anyway cause any further delay in facilitating the Contract Agreement at CSTB.
“The construction work continued and importantly, Kaintiba people who had been denied a road network for the last 30 years can have their coffee and other agriculture produce sold at better markets in the city,” Mr Goare said.
He said for the last 15 years, the people have suffered because there was no road for them to travel. It would take the people almost 36 hours to walk from their villages to Malalaua just to buy a bag of rice. But now after the completion of the road by SNP Construction Limited, PMVs have started to move in and the people are now easily travelling to Malalaua and Port Moresby but the company that made it possible is suffering.
Several email attempts by this newspaper to get comments from the Works Dept. Secretary were unsuccessful.