By CHRISTOPHER YANDAWAI
THE people of Telefomin district, Sandaun Province, will now embrace a wave of government services and other spin-off business activities for the first time since Independence.
This follows the official opening of the Tabubil to Urapmin section of the ongoing Tabubil-Telefomin missing link road project on January 19.
Since becoming a district, Telefomin has had no road access and this has imposed a challenge for the local Member of Parliament and Minister for Works and Highways Solan Mirisim as he seeks to distribute government services to his people.
As a third-term MP, Minister Mirisim said he has had to rely heavily on air transport out of Kiunga and Tabubil to serve his people.
The challenge will soon be the thing of past as the district is being connected to road network.
This will enable the people of Telefomin to have access to services to ease their livelihoods.
During the road opening, Mirsim told the people of Telefomin that the day has come for them to start receiving much-needed government services other benefits through the accessibility provided by the Tabubil-Telefomin road.
“Are you ready? I’ve been asking this question every time and I’m asking again,” he said.
“We will never be the same again; you must be prepared to move with me to change the face of Telefomin once and for all.”
As a means of empowering the people with access to the new road, the MP presented two new PMV trucks to the Urapmin community.
The vehicles would be used to transport their market produce to Tabubil and Kiunga via the road link.
He also presented two Wokabaut sawmills to the community for a relocation exercise, as well as to start building their permanent houses.
Chief Operator and team leader of contractor, IPZ Limited, Ivan Yemis said the day has come for the people of Telefomin to realise road connectivity.
“As a native Telefomin man, it gives me great joy to see my people enjoying the road,” he said.
“It provides them access to the market and shops in Tabubil and Kiunga for the first time in their history.”
He said previously people took days walking by bush track to get to Tabubil and Kiunga and as a result, they usually lost almost half of their fresh produce.
“Also, they lost most of what they bought in shops, especially frozen goods by the time they returned to Telefomin,” Yemis said.
“Today, you see them go out in the morning and return in the afternoon with all manner of frozen goods such as chicken, lamb flaps or beef.
“They are seeing the benefits of what roads can bring.
“The road connectivity is already improving the lives of people.
“That is what we want to see for the people and it motivates us to push the road construction forward despite the challenging terrain.”
He said, it would take them another 13 kilometres from Urapmin village to reach Telefomin station.
Yemis said no accidents have reported during the construction phase.
He said it took them five years to bring the road from Migalism village, just outside Tabubil station, to Urapmin village in Telefomin District.
Yemis acknowledged the Ok Tedi Mine Limited Tax Credit Scheme, the Marape-Rosso Government and the Department of Works and Highways for their continued support to ensure the road reaches Urapmin village.
