MEMBER for Rai Coast and Minister for Labour and Employment, Hon. Kessy Sawang has presented a cheque of K380, 000 to the Rural Airstrip Agency (RAA) yesterday.
The money will be used to do a survey and scoping of works for the restoration and maintenance of rural airstrips in the district.
This establishes a working relationship between Rai Coast District Development Authority and the RAA, wherein the district would support the agency to rehabilitate unused and abandoned rural airstrips.
The 11 airstrips identified by the district for rehabilitation are Teptep, Bambu, Gwarawan/Nankina, Mibu/Tibu, Wangeto, Bairong, Saidor, Gumbarami, Guhu, Matoko, Long Island. Only two (Teptep, Saidor airstrips) are in existence.
“For us, Saidor is a priority because the government station is located there and we want to start having some flights into the station,” Sawang said.
“Saidor airstrip needs to be upgraded and maybe in the near future we could have it sealed.
“The airstrip, which is 1.9kilometre m long, was built during World War 2.”
“I am trying to have a programme in our DDA for council wards that host the airstrips to get direct funding from the District Services Improvement Programme (DSIP) funds to maintain the airstrips.”
She said the district planned to turn Teptep into a “food bowl”.
They also planned to seal the runway at Teptep in the near future as it would increase agriculture activities in the area because of its close proximity to Nadzab International Airport.
“I am happy my district is your (RAA) partner in development,” Sawang said.
“In the next five years, we want to keep track of how much we have spent restoring the airstrips, especially the economic activities can be enabled so that our investment is not in vain but we are actually investing in economic activities that will grow,” Minister Sawang said.
Assistance and funding from RDDA will strengthen and support the capacity of RAA to conduct surveys, scoping of works, restore and maintain the rural airstrips in the Rai Coast district to required safety standards for the benefit of its rural communities.
