BY BARNABAS MANEBONA
TULAGHI roads are amongst confirmed for maintenance to continue under the National Transport Fund (NTF) Board’s recent meeting.
The NTF Board successfully approved funding requested by the Central Project Implementation Unit (CPIU) under the Ministry of Infrastructure Development for ongoing and new projects after having a second quarter meeting.
NTF Board earlier had approved the 2018 NTF work priorities and 2018 Annual Work Plan at its meeting on January 31 in which Central Islands Province (CIP) had not benefited again being understood to be the only province that has no new infrastructure development for the last forty years raising grave concern.
However, after the NTF Board had a second quarter meeting on June 7, 2018, funding includes maintenance works for Tulaghi roads as well.
“Funding include maintenance works for Hibiscus Avenue road, Guadalcanal East road (Alligator Bridge to Metapona Bridge), Guadalcanal West road (White River to Doma), Malaita North road (Silolo – Fouia), Malaita South road, Malaita East road, Tulaghi roads, and Buala roads,” said Jimmy Nuake the Head of NTF Secretariat/US Technical under the Ministry of Infrastructure Development in a Press Statement.
From an awareness programme held at Tulaghi by the NTF group in 2017, CIP’s Premier Patrick Vasuni told Island Sun early this year that it is very disappointing to find out that the province has not benefitted.
“Even a small province as Renbel has benefitted,” said the Premier.
“We are really disappointed that the government has done nothing to develop infrastructures on Central province as we also handed in our submissions.”
He added that no such development is a slap on the face of his people.
NTF is a special fund for developing, maintaining and managing transport infrastructure and services in Solomon Islands.
The current contributors to the Fund are the Solomon Islands Government, the Government of Australia and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
