A resident in East Malaita has voiced concerns over the state of the deteriorating road from Fosi market to Auluta and questioned Trades Transformation Company Ltd (TTC) for its handling of the project.
Allegations have arisen that the World Bank withdrew funding for the road project due to TTC’s failure to meet project timelines.
The resident called for a re-tender of the project and urged responsible authorities to investigate the matter.
In response, Leslie Tarzan Holosivi, the owner of TTC, claimed that the World Bank had not allocated the project to any specific company.
Holosivi explained that TTC had bid for the project when it was advertised but was unaware of the reasons behind the funding withdrawal
However, a comprehensive check has revealed that the East Malaita road project is not affiliated with the Solomon Islands Road and Aviation Project (SIRAP) or the Second Solomon Islands Road and Aviation Project (SIRAP2), both supported by the World Bank.
The World Bank’s funding is exclusively allocated to the Malaita Bridges Improvement, aimed at replacing four bridges to address connectivity issues resulting from past climatic disasters and overloaded logging vehicles.
In a separate concern, the same resident called upon responsible authorities to investigate the allocation of $4 million for the construction of a mini hospital at Tatali in Atori, East Malaita.
According to reports, the contractor has only completed the footing and cement work, and the project faced setbacks when a sub-contractor from Isabel allegedly absconded with a girl from East Malaita to his home village.
The resident suggested that the delay in the project’s progress was due to the East Malaita Constituency’s failure to retire the initial tranche received for project mobilization.
The project, co-funded by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) through its Honiara Embassy and the Government via the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) program, is expected to serve the Eastern Malaita Region, including East Fataleka, East Kwaio, and East Are’are, once fully completed and operational.
The concerns raised by the East Malaita resident have sparked calls for transparency and accountability in these development projects, leaving many in the community eager for answers from responsible authorities and project stakeholders.
