The rural communities of Lassul in Baining LLG of Gazelle District say they need road connectivity to link them to the outside world.
These were sentiments made by villagers from rural Yalam and Komgi wards during a recent visit by the East New Britain Provincial Member, Michael Marum.
Both villages are tucked away in the blue mountain ranges of Lassul Baining LLG of Gazelle District and still face issues with road accessibility.
The visit by the Provincial Member and a delegation saw the team take a 5-hour walk from the Raunsepna transit, and then another 5-hour walk from Yalam to Komgi ward.
A logging company that operated in this area built a road some years ago but has deteriorated over the years and is no longer being used by vehicles.
The struggles of the people living in this part of East New Britain were witnessed firsthand by the governor, who trekked the route for 10 hours on Thursday, March 21st.
Marum was accompanied by his deputy and Sinivit LLG President, Boniface Gerep, Inland Baining LLG President, Karl Baru, members of the Provincial Technical Division and an officer from the ENB Provincial Health Authority.
The visit aimed to see how these people live in this part of the province.
Komgi Ward Member Blasius Araden was emotional when commending the governor for the visit to their communities.
“It’s been so long. We hear budget after budget being passed for the past 49 years. Our villages have been always the back page and have never seen progress since independence,” he shared.
“Your visit is a sign of hope, that tomorrow better road links will reach our villages.”
Marum told those who gathered that the Raunsepna transit to Yalam road will be prioritised and commence soon.
“I've heard of your problems in this part of the province, now that I've walked the path that you walked and truly understand the difficulties that you're going through,” he said.
Marum and his staff spent the night in Komgi, then trekked back to Yalam for another night before enduring the hot weather on Saturday the 23rd of March, to return to the Raunsepna transit point.