By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK
THE largest Police Barracks in Port Moresby built in the 1950s will be relocated for a major transport transit hub, National Capital District Governor Powes Parkop says.
The colonial era Gordons Police barracks will be relocated to cater for the high demand for transport services for an increasing population of commuters traveling between Gordons and to the rest of NCD and Central Province. Right now the space for adhoc unofficial and chaotic transit hub is very small.
“My plan is to relocate the barracks so I can convert this to a major transport transit hub for PMVs, buses and taxis. This place has become a major transport hub.
“People living all over the city coming to Gordons to travel to major institutions at nine and 12 Miles like Marienville, De La Salle, Koiari Park Secondary Schools, Pacific Adventist University, IBS University, Sacred Heart Teachers College, Holy Spirit Seminary, Bomana Police College, Bomana Correctional Services.“There is also a huge working class population living at settlements at Erima wildlife, ATS, eight mile, nine mile, Morobe block and beyond.
“They commute from Gordon to Gerehu, Hohola Town, Hanuabada, Konedobu, Waigani, East Boroko and Manu auto port.
“Then we have rural PMVs from Central Province along the Hiritano and Magi highway and Sogeri coming and stopping here so we must have a big bus, taxi and PMV terminals. This will be the appropriate place,” Governor Parkop said.
Parkop said that “I have worked a plan ready to relocate police man families.Initially then Police Commissioner Gari Baki gave me a 3.5 hectares of land. But I need 4 hectares because I have a plan to build a barracks for 40 families.
“So, I can move them out any time. But then in the barracks there are 180 families and we can. I have a plan to fund it. It’s now up to Police Commissioner David Manning and Internal Security Minister Peter Tsiamalili jnr to come back to me.
“I have reminded them and we need to make it happen.We can’t delay it because it’s causing problems here for everyone. For the markets, for residents, for commuters, it’s causing problems.
“It is causing problems for them too. So we need to solve this problem as soon as possible. We have no choices but we have to have a major transport hub here. It’s not by design. It just happened”.
Meanwhile, Police Commissioner Manning said: “we have received verbal proposal. But not committed to anything yet”.
