North Fly district in Western Province has commenced road construction across the border into Indonesia with the official launch on October 16th, 2018.
The launching was held at Alicpit Birimkamba waterfront in Ningerum local level government area.
North Fly MP James Donald, while addressing his people, said this road project would encourage economic activity and trade across the border regions as well as Western Province as a whole.
“We cannot continue to conduct business with Port Moresby because it’s too far and expensive. Let’s make our life easier by simply putting a road across,” Donald stated.
He said it is an international road that needed attention from the National Government and support from local communities within PNG and Indonesia sides of the border.
Donald and his DDA board committed to support this road project as well as others in the district.
The MP added that from his district services improvement program (DSIP) funds, a 75 percent or three quarters of the funds had been allocated to building roads and bridges in the district.
This road is about 15km and takes about a 30-minute drive into Indonesia.
Donald presented a K500,000 cheque for the first phase (pilot tracking) to local people who have been engaged to build the road for themselves.
On top of that, the North Fly MP and his DDA board bought machineries for the road comprising a bulldozer and an excavator totaling close to K1 million.
While waiting for the official launch on Tuesday, the local operators have done a kilometer of the road over the past few days using the two newly-bought machines.
Meanwhile, Minister for Defence and Telefomin MP Solan Mirisim, who represented the National Government at the launch, said he would ensure the National Executive Council (NEC) submission is done for this road project.
He added that this road project would also benefit his people of Telefomin in West Sepik Province, who are close neighbours of North Fly in Western Province.
Dignitaries at the launching include Assistant Speaker and Finschhafen MP Renbo Paita, Western administrator Robert Alphonse Kaiyun and OTML Deputy CEO Musje Werror.
(North Fly MP James Donald, right, with Defence Minister Solan Mirisim before cutting the ribbon to officially mark the road’s construction)