The current road upgrade in Auki, Malaita Province, is received with negativity by the public who are now criticising the work as being ‘poorly done. ‘
In December of 2022 when gravel was poured along the road to fix deteriorating sections of the road, hopes were high that the new contractor will finally deliver to the expectation of the people.
Unlike past contractors who walked away with millions of dollars with nothing to show for in terms of quality work, people expect the current contractor to do more to fix the deteriorating road condition.
However, just days after the contracted company poured gravel on the badly affected areas of the road, the roads turned red as the contractor used low quality gravel, resulting in potholes resurfacing on the road just within days after being filled.
This has prompted the public to call on the Ministry of Infrastructure and Development (MID) to put pressure on the current contractor to do more.
For the past decade, contracts for the maintenance of Auki town roads were used as fundraisers by government officials as they demand commissions from winning contractors in return for awarding them the contracts.
The companies contracted to upgrade the Auki township roads have received millions of dollars but delivered poor road work, which only lasted until the next rainy day as a good part of the money goes back to government officials.
With that, Auki residence fear that the current contractor will do the same as previous contractors and are therefore calling on MID to step in as soon as possible by assessing the road upgrade work to ensure the contractor delivers quality service.
By WILSON SAENI in Auki
