Baisu prison facilities to be upgraded

The Australian government will fund two major projects in Baisu, Western Highlands province, this year.The first is the rebuilding and reconstruction of Baisu prison facilities, including the jail and staff houses, valued at K30 million under the law and justice sector programme. The second is the upgrading and sealing of a 5km road between Konfam, Balg, Baisu and Avi at a cost of K2.3 million.

Baisu jail commander Chief Supt Simon Sobaim announced the developments during an awareness meeting with jail authorities and community leaders this week.Chief Supt Sobaim told his officers and clan leaders from Baisu, Elti, Pinambe, Kawilka, Warike and Moke Pangnabo that the major contractor, SMEC, would tender the old buildings for both Correctional Services officers and the villagers to bid for them.He also told the meeting that some of the old building materials would be supplied to neighbouring schools to build or maintain their teachers’ houses and classrooms.

On the issue of sewerage and water pollution, Chief Supt Sobaim assured the villagers that their concerns would also be addressed where water would be purified for their use.He told the village leaders: “We need your support and cooperation so that work will progress fast.”

Pledging their commitment and support for the projects, the clan leaders said: “We want the project to start quickly so that we, the people, will benefit.”The benefits they wanted included power and water supplies and materials for their schools.They also promised to ensure progress on the projects would go smoothly.

Meanwhile, Highlands region community relations consultant for the Asian Development Bank (ADB) John Moksy announced at the meeting that work on upgrading and sealing the 5km road would start as soon as the scoping and costing assessments were completed by the road engineers.


Source: The National


*** Australia's continuous commitment in infrastructure development in Papua New Guinea is commendable. Western Highlands Province has been the major beneficiary of some of the major projects undertaken by the Australian government. The Mount Hagen Market, rebuilding and reconstruction of Baisu jail facilities, and the road from Konfam to Baisu (The National 19/02/09) are some of the major projects funded by the Australian government in the Western Highlands Province.

The people of Elti, Pinambe, Kawilka, Warike, Moge Pangnabo and Engan settlers around Baisu are so glad that the Australian government has made a commitment to seal their road. The road has been neglected for decades by both past and present governments of Papua New Guinea as well as their leaders. Baisu not only has the largest correctional Service facility in the highlands but the Kuk/Baisu Primary School as well as major coffee and tea estates.

Riding on that dirt road from Baisu to Mount Hagen was a hussle and time consuming for the last three years when I was teaching at Kuk/Baisu Primary. I know now that the entire Kuk/Baisu people will be happy that their pleas for decades will finally be put to rest. We commend Australia's generous support in cash and kind for the grassroots people of Papua New Guinea where their government has and will continue to fail in delivering the much needed goods and services.

The people of Kuk/Baisu should be mindful that this kind gesture from the Australian government and it's people is once in a life time gift to the people of Kuk/Baisu so let the project roll without any infighting for compensation demands for land or whatsoever. In the meantime, we overwhelmingly welcome this great news with open arms and thank the government of Australia and it's people for recognizing our plight in those years for a better road link.