by Mickey Kavera – EM TV Port Moresby
The Southern Highlands Province will have a state of the art judge’s residence with a total commitment of K2 million.
Southern Highlands governor William Powi announced this during the presentation of an initial funding of K1 million to members of the judiciary, witnessed by the chairman of the law and order Simon Tolpe, during the provincial executive council meeting in Mendi yesterday.
The other K1million will be released next year.
Mr Powi said the judges resident will be one of the best in the country and the facilities to be provided will include the conference rooms and extra judges rooms for visiting judges.
He said work will start after the presentation and will be witnessed by members of the judiciary when they meet in Mendi for the opening of the legal year in February next year, which coincides with the opening of the national court House.
“This judge’s house will be the state of the art. It is the government’s commitment as part of the overall law and justice sector support work in the province to make our province a better place. The building will have all that you can name including conference rooms and other amenities expected for the privacy and comfort of judges,” he said.
Governor Powi also announced the endorsement of the provincial executive council’s decision to host the opening of the 2015 legal year in Mendi on the 5th of February next year.
He said his government will make funding available for the important event as “we want to showcase that Southern Highlands is like any other places in PNG after law and order has improved a lot with support from his government.
Provincial senior Magistrate John Kaumi when receiving the cheque on behalf of the judiciary, said the province has stabilized over the past two years under the leadership of Governor Powi.
He said “under the leadership of governor Powi, the judiciary and the provincial government now have a good relationship, which resulted in the province, been awarded the best performing province in the law and justice sector.
Meanwhile, Powi also presented another K1 million for the reconstruction of the Pangia airport in the Ialibu Pangia district.
He also presented another K1.4 million to Kip High school in the Mendi electorate, Kero High school in Imbongu, K300 000 to Yagen primary and K100 000 to support the work of HIV/AIDS in the province.
Governor Powi added that he would also support the work of the village courts with funding for uniforms for all village court officials throughout the province. Several rural lockups will also be built to detain trouble makers. One will be established in Pangia and the other in Nipa to free up over crowding at Biu Yebi provincial jail outside Mendi town.
Powi also announced the police housing rollout program which will start next year to cater for the increasing police presence in the province. He said the program will start in Mendi and extend to other outstations.
