A new backhoe loader is expected to be in Niua Fo’ou by the end of next week, which will come as welcome news for the northern island’s residents who have been calling for more action on their roads for years.
Niua Fo’ou needed concrete roads and nine pallets of more than 400 cement sacks were included in shipments from the Ministry of Infrastructure which departed Nuku’alofa for the northern islands yesterday, Hon Akosita Lavulavu told Kaniva news.
More cements and road building materials are expected to arrive in the Niuas before the completion of the project, she said.
A driver from Niua Fo’ou was trained in Tongatapu for the job.
Five road engineers and staff would lead the work.
It was planned that after the Niua Fo’ou roads project the workers and the machinery will be shipped and continuing the same work in Niua Toputapu.
The minister said it was expected that building and repairing of roads for the Niuas could be completed within the next two years.
The road maintenance for ‘Eua island was planned to start in January next year.
The first phase of the government’s multi-million pa’anga road construction programme is now well underway in Vava’u 16, Vava’u 15 and Tongatapu 10.
As Kaniva news reported previously, Prime Minister Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa said, his government would focus on sealing all public roads with tar and filling roads to plantations, beaches and tax allotments with rocks.
He expected 50 percent of this project to be completed within their two years in office and leave the rest for the next two years.
Cooperative Development Policy
The government has initiated a cooperative development policy in order to solicit supports from the community through donation and assistance for its road construction programme.
Hon Lavulavu said the People’s Party members would help oversee the projects while community members could help with the maintenance and construction works.
She said there was a plan to ask Tongan families overseas to donate one drum of tar for each of their families in Tonga.
The government would help families who have no family members overseas and in the case of some constituencies like in Vava’u where kava plants were their major source of income, people could trade in kava for their tar, she said.
Fakamatala fakaTonga nounou ‘o e ongoongo’ ni
Fakafolau atu e misini pekihou fo’ou ki hono ngaahi mo tanu e hala o Niuafo’ou pea ‘e hoko hake ai ki Niuatoputapu. Ne fakafolau atu ‘eni ‘aneafi fakataha mo e palati sima ‘e hiva mo e uaea mesi ke kamata’aki ‘a e ngaue. E hokohoko atu pe hono fetuku atu o e naunau ki he tanu ni ‘i he vaka kotoa e folau atu ki he ongo motu’ kae oleva kuo kakato ‘a e ngāue’ ni fakafuofua ‘i loto ‘i he ta’u ‘e ua ka hoko mai. Oku lolotonga lele ‘a e ngaue tanu hala foki ‘i Vava’u 16, Vava’u 15 mo Tongatapu 10. Kuo fokotu’u ‘e he pule’anga ‘ene cooperative development policy pe fokotu’utu’u ngāue ken a fengāue’aki ai mo e komiunitii’ ke fefua’aki e mamafa ‘o e ngāue ko eni ki hono tanu makamaka’i mo valitā kotoa ‘a e ngaahi hala ‘o Tonga’. ‘Oku kau heni ‘a e ‘amanaki kole ki he ngaahi fāmili ‘i muli ke nau taki taha ‘a e talamu valitā ma’a honau ngaahi fāmili ‘i Tonga’. Ko kinautolu ‘ikai hanau fāmili ‘i muli’ ‘e tokonia kinautolu ‘e he pule’anga’. ‘E ‘atā mo e fakafetongi koloa hangē ko Vava’u ‘e lava ke ‘oange kava ki he pule’anga’ kae kumi ‘e he pule’anga ia ‘a e talamu valitaa’.
