Government will ensure LLGs are equipped, says Basil

THE national government will ensure that local level government wards in the country are given necessary machinery and vehicles to facilitate the delivery of basic services, National Planning Minister Sam Basil says, The National reports.
He said last week in Kokopo, East New Britain, the government would focus on rural areas which currently lacked basic services.
Basil said LLG managers needed to have bulldozers which they must operate and maintain for at least 2,000 hours, and use them during bad weather to repair roads.
"This way LLGs can fix their roads and open up the market for people in rural areas," he said.
He said LLG managers must each have a police car and an officer who could train 10 locals as reservists to help monitor law and order in the communities.
Basil said police presence must be maintained in rural areas in light of recent land and social problems.
He said an ambulance should be stationed at the LLG level to help those seeking health services
Basil said the VSat system was important to provide communication so that LLGs could be hooked up to a fax machine and access internet to submit reports to the provincial and national governments when needed.
He said a tractor would allow the LLG to plough the land for agricultural use.
Basil said all these could be operated on a user-pay basis but the government must provide these equipment and vehicles so that people could enjoy better services.
He urged parliamentarians to wisely use the K20 million they received from the government on sustainable projects.