By Bradley Mariori
A group of 32 trekkers from Nabak in Nawaeb district, Burum in Finschaffen district, and Indagen in Kabwum district are on a mission to do a survey on the Lae-Indagen-Kabwum Road.
They were transported to Suguza gap in the Nabak hinterlands on Tuesday equipped with GPS trackers.
The group is initiating a social mapping and survey effort for the Lae-Indagen-Kabwum Road Project.
This road, connecting Nawaeb, Finschaffen, Tewae-Siassi, and Kabwum districts, comes after years of government negligence.
Team Leader, Mawi Wina said the road’s construction is crucial, considering the tragedy of 2019 involving trekkers attending the Lutheran Church centenary celebration in Indagen, Kabwum.
The team undertaking this task includes three women, young boys, and an elderly man.
They have volunteered to traverse the Saruwaget range.
Mr. Wina said it will be about a week before they arrive in Indagen.
In 2019, Prime Minister James Marape who had attended the 100-years celebration of the first Lutheran Missionaries who arrived in Kabwum pledged K100 million to connect Kabwum to Lae by road.
Of the pledged K100 million, the Prime Minister said K10m will be given each year starting in 2020 for the next ten years to have Kabwum connected by road but no funds have been given by the government to date.
This commitment by the Prime Minister followed the incident in 2019 that claimed lives of more than 10 people who trekked from Lae and Finschhafen to attend the 100-years anniversary in Indagen, Kabwum.
