Communities from Ward seven in Wain Erap Local Level Government (LLG) area in the Nawaeb District of Morobe province continue to lack proper access, in the form of an improved road link, to the main centers despite various developments taking place close to them.
Villages like Bungki, Sintogura, and Mingima situated in Ward seven have been neglected for so long. Sintogura and Mingima villagers see airplanes landing and taking off at Nadzab International Airport daily from the mountain overlooking Nadzab, but sadly, they do not have proper access to roads.
Several attempts to link road services to the communities by previous Members of Parliament (MP) and the current MP, Theo Pelgen did not eventuate, leaving the people to continue walking to access services, and even having to walk for hours to reach the main access road through Wawin National School of Excellence area.
The Ward Councillor, Mr. Paul Tua said there is a road connection but government after government did not consider upgrading it to ease access.
He said his ward area has a good number of vanilla, coffee and cocoa farmers but the problem is that there is no road access.
“The only company vehicle that risks through the terrain mountain road is Wia trade to buy coffee.”
“Only the local coffee traders have limited access to board the company vehicle to reach road, but then after selling their coffee beans with the company, they board PMVs to travel back via Wawin National School of Excellence way.”
“Locals have the money to buy store goods, but they fear how they would transport their cargoes back home,” Tua said.
Mr. Gwang Philip, a local from Dinsu village at Wawin said most times locals from Sintogura, Mingima and Bungki villages carry loads of garden produce and commodities like cocoa, vanilla and coffee, spend a night with them at Wawin before travelling to their destinations.
“These people from the three communities are very hard-working people. Even their villages do not have access to upgraded road, but they work very hard by carrying loads of cargoes coming down and walking up the mountains to their families and households, ” Gwang said.
Nevertheless, the good news is that road infrastructure projects is one of the priorities of the current MP and funds will be made available for such road links says the Nawaeb District Administration.