By Loretta B Manele
The roads in Honiara are a disaster thus the MID (Ministry of Infrastructure and Development) permanent secretary and his team of engineers have been called to step up.
Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele raised this at the PM’s Breakfast- “Catalysing economic growth through an empowered private sector, creating an enabling environment” event hosted by SICCI (Solomon Islands Chamber of Commerce and Industry) at the Heritage Park hotel yesterday.
He expressed that roads in Honiara are a disaster and there is no other way to put it.
Manele voiced that we keep on fixing these roads every time it rains for the last five years yet there is no improvement.
He said since 2022 up to 2024, we have spent around $84 million in maintaining Honiara roads, an amount coming from the recurrent budget and National Transport Fund.
Manele stressed that apparently, the existing system we are using to maintain our roads is not working.
“The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry for Infrastructure Development and his team of engineers need to step up, address this issue and treat it as an emergency. There needs to be proper monitoring and evaluation of work done.
The Public Works Department must be re-established. We have the political will to do this but unfortunately, there is not much traction from the technical people.”
Manele also called on the Road Transport Board to seek solutions to address issues facing Honiara road transport as well.
“I understand the SICCI is also a member of the Road Transport Board with Honiara City Council, Commissioner of Police, Chief Mechanical Engineer of MID, representatives from the bus and taxi association and Permanent Secretaries.
We need to identify the problems and address them.”
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