National Capital District

Public transport shortage in NCD

City commuters were seen to be walking to the nearest bus stops in search of buses, only to find them packed with more people trying to get to work and school.

One regular commuter said she has always been up at 6am to catch the bus, unfortunately in the last couple of weeks, there have been fewer buses on the road.

Many commuters said they have had to walk two to three bus stops to try and rush with the rest of the commuters for buses.

“Many of us have turned up to work past our usual clock-in time of 8am, and arrive at 9am or 10am.”

City produces 300 tonnes of solid waste daily

Statistics from the NCD Commission reveal that approximately 300 tonnes of solid waste are received daily at the city’s only landfill at Baruni.

In 2015-2016, NCD produced approximately 230,000 tonnes of waste.

About half of this waste comes from households, just over a quarter is commercial and industrial waste and the remainder is markets and public places.

NCD spends close to eight percent of its annual operating budget on managing solid waste indicate that this amount will continue to rise.

Students encouraged to work hard

National Capital District Governor Powes Parkop told the students during his visit to the school this week to work hard in school to become someone in the future.

Parkop said the Government has spent a lot on free education by providing the Tuition Free Fee policy and so it is now up to the students to play their part.

“We’ve done all we can and what we are required to do as members of parliament and students have to do their part as well.

Need for more secondary schools in the nation’s capital

Parkop says with the growing population in Port Moresby and the large number of primary and elementary schools, there’s a need for more secondary schools.

The National Capital District currently has 16 secondary schools and 34 primary schools.

Out of the 16 secondary schools, only five are government schools while the others are church-run and private schools.

Parkop said the number of secondary schools is totally inadequate compared to the number of primary schools.

Perfect Christmas weather in NCD

It had been raining in the days leading up to Christmas. However, the morning of December 25 saw the sun shining confidently, allowing for uninterrupted outdoor Christmas celebrations.

AccuWeather.com reported a partly sunny day in the nation’s capital.

But the reading this afternoon warns for thunder showers, so if you’re still out there, make sure you have an umbrella on hand.

This may continue for the next few days so be prepared.

(The Adventure Park at 14-Mile, outside Port Moresby, today)

Citizens raise concerns on NCD common roll update

In preparation for the 2017 National General Election, the PNG Electoral Commission (PNGEC) did its electoral roll update for voters in the nation’s capital.   

The exercise ran for 14 days, starting on November 30, with an extra 7 days in case of emergency or necessary security issues.

However, community leaders have claimed that the common roll update exercise, carried out for almost three weeks, has failed due to very poor planning, ineffective implementation and insufficient time allocation.

Gore calls on women groups to stop in-fighting

Minister for Region, Youth and Community Development, Delilah Gore has urged women to stop the in-fighting and stand together to address women’s issues.

Gore said the in-fighting must stop and everyone must work together as women leaders and as representatives of the majority of women in the villages and provinces who cannot speak for themselves.

Gore encouraged women to stand together and talk for the rights of women. 

She said it’s time for a change in attitude.

Women in NCD celebrate GBV strategy endorsement

The National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence 2016-2025 was finally endorsed by the National Executive Council (NEC) on Wednesday, December 15.  

The endorsement was announcement by Minister for Religion, Youth and Community Development Delilah Gore to hundreds of women groups wearing orange coloured shirts at a peaceful protest.

The protest was organised by NCD Governor Powes Parkop and NCDC as a call for action for the Government to endorse the strategy.

Parkop calls on men to join GBV protest

National Capital District (NCD) Governor Powes Parkop is calling on the male population to stand together with the womenfolk and join in the peaceful protest on Friday, December 16.

Parkop urged the men to come out in big numbers and support this cause.

He said gender-based violence is a development issue and an issue about men, the type of people they are and the type of value system they have.

Parkop also appealed to all women groups, non-government organisations, government departments, corporate companies and churches to turn up.

No beer ban for NCD during festive period

NCD Police boss Ben Turi said that as usual, people will be allowed to have alcohol during their celebrations but they must be responsible.

Turi confirmed there will not be analcohol ban in order to cut down on black markets in settlements.

“Similar to last year, we allowed alcohol during the festive period and we didn’t experience any serious reports in relation to alcohol consumption.

“During Easter we also allowed alcohol to be taken but with respect to the community and people behaved so we commend the public.