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Lagos, Abuja get low status in quality of living ranking

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Lagos, Abuja get low status in quality of living ranking

Nigeria’s commercial and administrative capital cities of Lagos and Abuja got distant 212th and 213th respective positions out of the 231 cities assessed under the 2017 Mercer Quality of Living Rankings for cities.

City centre and skyline of Lagos Island. Lagos is ranked 212 out of the 231 cities assessed worldwide in the 2017 Mercer Quality of Living Rankings for cities. Photo credit: Wikipedia

The annual Quality of Living survey, which is the 19th in the series, besides evaluating attractive endpoints for expanding business operations, also indicates differences in quality of living factors affecting expatriates in popular assignment destinations, a criterion that must have negatively impacted the Nigerian urban centres’ appraisal.

Indeed, only five cities in Africa made the top 100, out of which three are from South Africa, which is facing increased political and financial volatility.

With Port Louis in Mauritius topping the Africa chart at an overall 84th position, Durban (87) ranked the highest for quality of living within South Africa, closely followed by Cape Town (94) and Johannesburg (96). The city of Victoria in Seychelles completed the African quintet by placing 98th.

On the other side of the scope, Brazzaville (224) in the Republic of the Congo, N’Djamena (226) in Chad, Khartoum (227) in Sudan and Bangui (230) in the Central African Republic formed the four lowest-ranked cities for quality of living within Africa.

“Economic instability, social unrest, and growing political upheaval all add to the complex challenge multinational companies face when analysing quality of living for their expatriate workforce,” says Ilya Bonic, senior partner and president of Mercer’s Career business.

He adds: “For multinationals and governments it is vital to have quality of living information that is accurate, detailed, and reliable. It not only enables these employers to compensate employees appropriately, but it also provides a planning benchmark and insights into the often-sensitive operational environment that surrounds their workforce.

“In uncertain times, organisations that plan to establish themselves and send staff to a new location should ensure they get a complete picture of the city, including its viability as a business location and its attractiveness to key talent.”

Vienna occupies first place for overall quality of living for the 8th year running, with the rest of the top-10 list mostly filled by European cities: Zurich is in second place, with Munich (4), Dusseldorf (6), Frankfurt (7), Geneva (8), Copenhagen (9), and Basel, a newcomer to the list, in 10th place. The only non-European cities in the top 10 are Auckland (3) in Australia and Vancouver (5) in Canada. The highest ranking cities in Asia and Latin America are Singapore (25) and Montevideo (79), respectively.

Mercer’s survey also includes a city infrastructure ranking that assesses each city’s supply of electricity, drinking water, telephone and mail services, and public transportation as well as traffic congestion and the range of international flights available from local airports. Singapore tops the city infrastructure ranking, followed by Frankfurt and Munich both in 2nd place. Baghdad (230) and Port au Prince (231) rank last for city infrastructure.

The Mercer survey is said to be one of the world’s most comprehensive and is conducted annually to enable multinational companies and other organisations to compensate employees fairly when placing them on international assignments. In addition to valuable data, Mercer’s Quality of Living surveys provide hardship premium recommendations for over 450 cities throughout the world; this year’s ranking includes 231 of these cities.

“The success of foreign assignments is influenced by issues such as ease of travel and communication, sanitation standards, personal safety, and access to public services,” notes Slagin Parakatil, Principal at Mercer and responsible for its quality of living research. “Multinational companies need accurate and timely information to help calculate fair and consistent expatriate compensation – a real challenge in locations with a compromised quality of living.”

Mr Parakatil adds, “A city’s infrastructure, or rather the lack thereof, can considerably affect the quality of living that expatriates and their families experience on a daily basis. Access to a variety of transport options, being connected locally and internationally, and access to electricity and drinkable water are among the essential needs of expatriates arriving in a new location on assignment. A well-developed infrastructure can also be a key competitive advantage for cities and municipalities trying to attract multinational companies, talent, and foreign investments.”

 

Middle East

Dubai (74) continues to rank highest for quality of living across the Middle East, rising one position in this year’s ranking, followed closely by Abu Dhabi (79), which climbed three spots. Damascus (225) in Syria, Sana’a (229) in Yemen and Baghdad (231) in Iraq are the region’s three lowest-ranked cities for quality of living.

Dubai also ranks highest for infrastructure in 51st place. Only five other cities in this region make the top 100, including Tel Aviv (56), Abu Dhabi (67), Port Louis (94), Muscat (97), and upcoming host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Doha in Qatar, which ranks 96th for infrastructure. Cities in the Middle Eastern countries dominate the bottom half of the table for infrastructure, with Damascus (224), Sana’a (229), and Baghdad (230) ranking the lowest.

 

Europe

Even with political and economic turbulence, Western European cities continue to enjoy some of the highest quality of living worldwide. Still in the top spot, Vienna is followed by Zurich (2), Munich (4), Dusseldorf (6), Frankfurt (7), Geneva (8), Copenhagen (9), and a newcomer to the list, Basel (10). In 69th place, Prague is the highest ranking city in Central and Eastern Europe, followed by Ljubljana (76) and Budapest (78). Most European cities remained stable in the ranking, with the exception of Brussels (27), dropping six places because of terrorism-related security issues, and Rome (57), down four places due to its waste-removal issues. Finally, Istanbul fell from 122nd to 133rd place as a result of the severe political turmoil in Turkey during the past year. The lowest ranking cities in Europe are St. Petersburg and Tirana (both ranked 176), along with Minsk (189).

Western European cities also hold most of the top 10 places in the city infrastructure ranking with Frankfurt and Munich jointly ranking 2ndworldwide, followed by Copenhagen (4) and Dusseldorf (5). London is in 6th place, and Hamburg and Zurich both rank 9th. Ranking lowest across Europe are Sarajevo (171) and Tirana (188).

“Cities that rank high in the city infrastructure list provide a combination of top-notch local and international airport facilities, varied and extended coverage through their local transportation networks, and innovative solutions such as smart technology and alternative energy,” says Mr Parakatil. “Most cities now align variety, reliability, technology, and sustainability when designing infrastructure for the future.”

 

Americas

In North America, Canadian cities take the top positions in the ranking. Vancouver (5) is again the region’s highest ranking city for quality of living. Toronto and Ottawa follow in 16th and 18th place respectively, whereas San Francisco (29) is the highest ranking US city, followed by Boston (35), Honolulu (36), New York (44), and Seattle (45). High crime rates in Los Angeles (58) and Chicago (47) resulted in these cities dropping nine and four places respectively. Monterrey (110) is the highest ranking city in Mexico, while the country’s capital, Mexico City, stands in 128th position. In South America, Montevideo (79) ranks highest for quality of living, followed by Buenos Aires (93) and Santiago (95). La Paz (157) and Caracas (189) are the lowest ranking cities in the region.

For city infrastructure, Vancouver (in 9th place) also ranks highest in the region. It is followed by Atlanta and Montreal, tied in 14th place. Overall, the infrastructure of cities in Canada and the United States is of a high standard, including the airport and bus connectivity, the availability of clean drinking water, and the reliability of electricity supplies. Traffic congestion is a concern in cities throughout the whole region. Tegucigalpa (208) and Port-au-Prince (231) have the lowest scores for city infrastructure in North America. In 84th place, Santiago is the highest ranking South American city for infrastructure; La Paz (168) is the lowest.

 

Asia-Pacific

Singapore (25) remains the highest ranking city in the Asia-Pacific region, where there is great disparity in quality of living; Dushanbe (215) in Tajikistan ranks lowest. In Southeast Asia, Kuala Lumpur (86) follows Singapore; other key cities include Bangkok (131), Manila (135), and Jakarta (143). Five Japanese cities top the ranking for East Asia: Tokyo (47), Kobe (50), Yokohama (51), Osaka (60), and Nagoya (63). Other notable cities in Asia include Hong Kong (71), Seoul (76), Taipei (85), Shanghai (102), and Beijing (119). There is also considerable regional variation in the city infrastructure ranking. The highest-ranked city is Singapore (1), whereas Dhaka (214) is near the bottom of the list.

New Zealand and Australia continue to rank highly in quality of living: Auckland (3), Sydney (10), Wellington (15), and Melbourne (16) all remain in the top 20. However, when ranked for infrastructure, only Sydney (8) makes the top ten, with Perth (32), Melbourne (34), and Brisbane (37) also ranking well for infrastructure in Oceania. By and large, cities in Oceania enjoy good quality of living, though criteria such as airport connectivity and traffic congestion are among the factors that see them ranked lower in terms of city infrastructure.

Cholera kills 80 in Zamfara

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Cholera kills 80 in Zamfara

Commissioner for Health in Zamfara State, Alhaji Suleiman Gummi, has said no fewer than 80 people were killed by a cholera outbreak in the state in the last one month.

Cholera
Cholera patients

The commissioner told newsmen on Tuesday, March 14 2017 in Gusau, the state capital, that 500 others were currently receiving treatment at various health facilities in the state.

He said the disease had spread to 10 out of the 14 local government areas (LGAs) of the state.

Gummi stated that the state government had established special camps and had deployed medicine and health personnel there to contain the situation.

He added that the state government had reported the case to the Federal Government and more medical support were being expected.

The commissioner appealed to the citizens of the state to keep their environments clean and also ensure to prepare their food under hygienic conditions.

The LGAs affected are Bungudu, Maru, Maradun, Talata-Mafara and Bakura.

Others include: Shinkafi, Anka, Kaura-Namoda, Birnin-Magaji and Zurmi.

Cholera is an infectious disease that causes severe watery diarrhea, which can lead to dehydration and even death if untreated. It is caused by eating food or drinking water contaminated with a bacterium called Vibrio cholerae.

Traffic snarl imminent as Lagos commences work on drainage channel

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Traffic snarl imminent as Lagos commences work on drainage channel

The Lagos State Government has urged motorists plying the Otedola under-bridge area to cooperate with traffic officials as traffic under the bridge will be narrowed to a single lane for four days starting from Wednesday, March 15 2017.

A blocked drainage channel in Lagos

This follows the commencement of excavation works of the ongoing construction of Omole Jubilee Estate/Agiliti drainage channel.

The excavation works is to give room for the construction of culverts to de-flood Omole, Magodo, Shangisha, Agiliti, Mile 12, Otedola under-bridge and parts of Alausa.

Motorists were therefore enjoined to drive carefully and maintain a single lane, starting from the commencement date of the excavation works.

The statement by the State Government adds: “Lagosians are assured of the determination of the Lagos State Government to ensure a flood-free Lagos.”

JAMB offers Mock UTME for free, may not extend registration period

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JAMB offers Mock UTME for free, may not extend registration period

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) on Monday, March 13 2017 said it would not extend the period of registration of candidates for its 2017 all Computer Based Test UTME.

Prof.-Ishaq-Oloyede
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede

The board’s Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, revealed this to newsmen on the sideline of a stakeholders’ meeting attended by owners of CBT centres nationwide.

It was organised by JAMB at the University of Lagos, Akoka.

According to Oloyede, registration of candidates for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination will be for a period of one month running from March 20 to April 19, as against the previous three months period.

He said that the essence of reducing the period of registration from three months to one month was to eliminate all ills associated with prolonged registration of candidates.

Oloyede said: “There will also be mock examination for prospective candidates and this examination will be purely optional.

“Those who register for the mock examination will sit for it on April 8, but the UTME proper will commence on May 6 to May 20.

“We have put in place facilities that will make it easy for candidates to register.

“For instance, as soon as a candidate creates his profile on his mobile phone, automatically we will send our e-syllabus and e-brochure into his e-mail.

“So, even before going to pay for the mock, he already has all the materials that he will need for the registration.

“We are also talking to CBT centre operators not to extort candidates just as we are also asking candidates not to pay now for the mock examination, which is purely optional.”

Oloyede said the mock examination had been made free by JAMB for interested candidates, adding that the gesture was part of the board’s corporate social responsibility.

According to Oloyede, candidates would pay N700 to owners of centres where they would be posted at the point of registration for the mock examination.

He said: “We will not charge fees for the mock examination because we want to do it as our own way of giving back to the society.

“But the CBT centres will be allowed to charge a token of N700 for the mock and it is at that point that all prospective candidates for the mock examination are expected to pay.

“There will also be no cash transaction.

“Candidates can use their ATMs or if they must use cash, they can pay into the banks to avoid extortion of any kind.

“This is because there are people out there that want to take advantage of these candidates’ naivety.

“So it is important for candidates to keep passwords to their e-emails, ATM cards and even registration numbers to themselves and safe, to avoid being exposed to those who might want to take advantage of them.”

The registrar added that over 600 public and private centres had been approved for the conduct of this year’s UTME nationwide.

Oloyede said that, so far, the board was satisfied with the level of readiness of the centres for the examination.

He added that the board would not accredit centres jointly owned by associations, adding that accreditation was based strictly on individual operator and those accredited as owner of CBT centre.

The registrar said the essence of the stakeholders’ meeting with owners of centres was to put finishing touches to the state of readiness ahead of the examination.

Oloyede said: “I started this morning by interacting with transporters, after which I met with the state coordinators and later with banks and now with CBT centre operators.

“The essence is to ensure that everybody involved in the preparation for registration of candidates for the examination will have adequate information and is carried along.

“We are equally distributing materials to centres all over the country; for instance, the e-syllabus and e-brochure will be distributed to every prospective candidate among other things.’’

No fewer than 400 CBT centre operators nationwide participated in the meeting.

JAMB announces date to begin sale of 2017 UTME forms

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JAMB announces date to begin sale of 2017 UTME forms

The Joint Admission and Matriculations Board (JAMB) has said that it will begin the sale of the 2017 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination forms on March 20.

Dr-Fabian-Benjamin
Dr. Fabian Benjamin, JAMB’s Head of Public Relations

Dr. Fabian Benjamin, JAMB’s Head of Public Relations, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Monday in Bwari, the Federal Capital Territory.

Benjamin said the date was fixed following an agreement that was reached on the harmonisation of the examination timetable at a meeting with other exam bodies on January 24.

Benjamin said: “We will begin the sale of the admission forms on March 20, while UTME is scheduled to hold in May.

“We are ready to commence the sales of the 2017/2018 admission forms for UTME and Direct Entry forms on the said date.”

NAN reports that JAMB recently emphasised that it would organise an optional mock examination before the 2017 UTME.

Based on information published on its Twitter handle: @JAMBHQ, the date of the Mock examination will soon be announced.

According to the board, the purpose of the mock examination is to allow candidates “FEEL” what the main examination will be like.

The board, however, said the mock examination would be “completely optional” as it would not be a pre-requirement for writing the actual UTME.

It added that candidates can choose to either take the mock examination or not.

The board also disclosed that Interswitch Payment on the e-Facility portal has been temporarily disabled and that the list of its accredited centres soon be announced.

Mourinho accuses ref Oliver over Chelsea loss

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Mourinho accuses ref Oliver over Chelsea loss

Manchester United manager, José Mourinho, has pointed the finger of blame at referee Michael Oliver, claiming the 32-year-old official had now cost his team four times this season, following the red card shown to Ander Herrera, during Monday night’s 1-0 FA Cup quarter-final defeat at Stamford Bridge.

José-Mourinho
José Mourinho

Thanks to Chelsea’s N’ Golo Kante’s 52nd minute bolt, which surprised De Gea and skidded past him into the far corner.

Herrera was dismissed in the first half for two fouls on Eden Hazard, following what looked like an edict to target the Belgium playmaker.

After Herrera finally accepted his fate, after much argument with the referee and teammates, the fourth official Mike Jones had to keep apart Mourinho and Chelsea’s manager, Antonio Conte, who engaged themselves in a touch-line argument.
After the dramatic match, Mourinho said: “Mr Michael Oliver, a referee with fantastic potential, Manchester United were a bit unlucky. In four matches, three penalties and one red card in such an early moment of the game, but again l cannot change that.”

According to statistics, Michael Oliver had this season refereed four Manchester United matches thus: won none, drew two, two losses, three penalties and one sending off.

Meanwhile, the draws for the semi-final matches, which was held immediately after the Manchester United /Chelsea match, will see Arsenal do battle with Manchester City, while Chelsea will face Tottenham.

By Felix Simire

Enrique sustains injury while celebrating wonder victory

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Enrique sustains injury while celebrating wonder victory

Barcelona coach, Luis Enrique, has said that he got himself injured while celebrating his team’s stunning comeback against Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League battle.

Luis-Enrique
Barcelona coach, Luis Enrique

Barcelona were 4-0 down to PSG from the first leg, but produced one of most memorable fight backs in recent memory to win 6-1 last Wednesday night.

Sergi Roberto’s winner sealed a 6-5 aggregate victory for the Spanish giants and sent the Nou camp into frenzy.

But Enrique, who will leave the club at the end of the season, revealed that he hurt himself in the chaos. “It was worth it. I was brought to my knees. It is a difficult night to explain with words. It was a horror movie, not a drama with a Camp Nou that I have seen very few times as a player or coach,” he explained.

Barcelona are the first side in the Champions League history to over turn a four-goal deficit from the first-leg, their 6-1 win over PSG featuring three dramatic late goals.

Even Manchester United did not need that many to make history there in 1999.

Of the Superstar trio, Messi, Neymar, and Luis Suarez, it was Neymar who did most to make the miracle happen, scoring two goals and winning a penalty before showing impressive composure to loft a pass into the path of Sergi Roberto in the final chance of the tie.

Indeed, the coach Luis Enrique, who has won an astonishing eight trophies out of a possible 10  over the past three seasons, is now looking for a for 11 from 13 by June, Top of La Liga, Copa del Rey favourites and still somehow – in the hunt for yet another Champions League trophy.

By Felix Simire

Sensational Serena Teluwor wins U-10 tennis Circuit Cup

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Sensational Serena Teluwor wins U-10 tennis Circuit Cup

Tennis whiz-kid, Serena Teluwo, stunned the crowd with her superlative performance as she prodded herself to a dramatic 9-7 point victory over Reya Holmes of Britain at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club at the weekend.

Serena-Teluwo
Serena Teluwo

The 10-year-old Methodist High School (JSS1) student began the game with optimism as she won the first set with effortless ease.

However, Reya Holmes, a team mate of Teluwo in Coach Paul Moses stable, staged a dramatic comeback and fought her way back into contention. Teluwo looked well composed as she strived to overcome her rival, who showed no sign of tiredness as they drew 5-5 midway in their enthralling encounter, which drew plaudits from the tennis aficionados.

Urged on by her mother, Joy Teluwo, who was on the terrace, Serena assumed complete control as she coasted home 9-7 to win the U-10 Junior Tennis Circuit Cup, organised by a conglomerate of Oil companies, under the auspices of SNEPCO.

The tournament drew over 200 participants from many parts of the country, vying for honours in five different categories.

By Felix Simire

Images: 2017 NNPC/SNEPCo Junior Tennis Championship

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Images: 2017 NNPC/SNEPCo Junior Tennis Championship

On Saturday, March 11 2017, the year’s edition of the NNPC/SNEPCo Junior Open Tennis Championships held at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club.

SNEPCo-Tennis
Lagos Liaison Officer, Federal Ministry of Youths and Sports, Dr. Segun Olaitan; Most Outstanding Female Player, 13-year old Rebecca Ekpeyong in the U-14 category; and the Human Resources Director, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company, Mr. Obinna Anaba, during the presentation of trophy to Ekpeyong at the finals of the 2017 edition of the NNPC/SNEPCo Junior Open Tennis Championships held at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club
SNEPCo-Tennis-Male
Lagos Liaison Officer, Federal Ministry of Youths and Sports, Dr. Segun Olaitan; Most Outstanding Male Player, 16-year old Phillip Abayomi in the U-18 category; and the Human Resources Director, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company, Mr. Obinna Anaba, during the presentation of trophy to Abayomi

Why Superhighway met stiff opposition, by Bassey

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Why Superhighway met stiff opposition, by Bassey

Speaking at the Community Forests Training held at Old Ekuri, Cross River State, on Saturday, March 11 2017, Nnimmo Bassey, Director, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), says that the proposed Superhighway project met local, national and international outrage because of the threat it poses to the last tracts of rainforests in Nigeria

Monitoring-Protest
Monitoring-Protest (change to and use: Activists protesting over the proposed Superhighway)

Communities are best placed to monitor their forests because they live in the forests, depend on forest resources and readily notice threat and changes that occur in such forests. When the communities, such as yours, are especially dedicated to preserve forests, monitoring becomes a top priority. It is with this understanding that Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) is engaging in the training of forest monitors in your community. This exercise is a follow up to our earlier forest dialogues and training on forest EIA. We believe that you will further train other monitors so that we build a strong network of forest watchers and defenders.

The monitoring training is developed in modules covering aspects including what forests are, the laws and regulations cover our forests, the health impacts of forest degradation, tools and methods for forest monitoring, reporting and ecological defence. In the training process, we will also stress the fact that a plantation is not a forest. This is something you know very well because a plantation is an enclave of monoculture and cannot provide the services that forests provide. Moreover, plantations are often out of bounds to communities except for individuals sometimes employed to provide cheap labour on them. The expansion of oil palm plantations in this part of the country is already impacting on the Cross River National Park (CRNP) and community forests. This monitoring training will equip communities to document changes, unauthorised entries/encroachments and duly bring such to the attention of relevant government authorities.

This effort is being conducted with the support of the Small Grants Project of the Global Environment Facility (SGP/GEF) and is targeted at ensuring that the pristine community forests of Cross River State, Nigeria, as well as the CRNP are not degraded, destroyed or converted through any action or activity inimical to the interests of the people and the planet. The immediate threat to the forests in the Cross River State is the proposed six-lane Superhighway project that is supposed to stretch over a distance of 260 kilometres and connect a proposed sea port to Katsina Ala town in Benue State, Nigeria.

The Superhighway project met local, national and international outrage because of the threat it poses to the last tracts of rainforests in Nigeria and because the government also revoked your occupancy rights and that of individuals and other communities in the area lying within 10 km on either side of the proposed highway. The proclamation that the record-breaking land-grab was for the purpose of creating a development corridor was not bought by you or by other communities and the general public. HOMEF applauds your resilience and defence of your forests and our collective heritage. It is salutary that the government of Cross River State has announced that the revocation order has now been annulled. This is the sort of outcome that we can expect from frontline ecological defenders such as you in the affected communities. We use this opportunity to call on CRSG to issue a gazette affirming the annulment of the revocation order and declaring that the community forests and the CRNP must not be assaulted by any act of land use changes or infrastructure development. This is the way to protect our biodiversity for our good, for future generations and for the overall good of the planet.

We also call on the CRSG to assure the world that their threat to continue with the Superhighway project without an approved EIA was a grave error that would not be carried out. A situation whereby a state government flagrantly breaks the law would spell disaster for resource governance and could lead to a breakdown of law and order as the government itself would not have the standing to demand that project proponents within the state obey any of the state’s environmental regulations. We also note that the EIA in question has been shown to be unacceptable by the Federal Ministry of Environment and noted experts and groups including the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). As the WCS stated in one of their reports, “the listing of the small Indian mongoose and Chinese alligator [in the EIA] is truly shocking and strongly indicates that the consultants may not be competent or qualified to undertake a project of this magnitude and importance.”

We reiterate the call that the Superhighway should be realigned away from forests or, better still, the government should simply repair and expand the existing dilapidated highway. Above all, it is your commitment as forest dependent community people that can decisively stem the forces of forest degradation.

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