Land Tok · Land Tok Is-sue #1, 2016. Firstly, I would like to take this op-portunity to wish you...

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Issue #1 January —March 2016 A Publication by the Department of Lands and Physical Planning INSIDE Mr. Luther Sipison is the new Acting Secretary for the Department of Lands and Physical Plan- ning as of 10 th December 2015 to 02 nd March 2016. This follows the revocation of former Secretary, Romilly Kilapat who was terminated as of 10 th De- cember 2015 following an NEC decision No. 343 of 2015, Meeting No. 18 which also appointed Si- pison as Acting Secretary. Minister for Lands and Physical Planning, Benny Allen made the official announcement in January 2016 saying the new acting Secretary will take up office as of 10 th December to 02 nd March 2016 until the Department of Personnel Management advertis- es the position for a permanent appointment. Minis- ter Allen said the decision came about following 15 Valuers urged to register Page 5 New executives for Physical Planners Association sworn in Page 8 New vehicle for lands officers Page 3 Titles presented for housing project Page 3 Sipison is Acting Secretary allegations raised of which 6 had some substance by the investigators. He said the cabinet has made the decision however he expressed sincere thanks to the former Secretary saying; he was a very good Secre- tary when he took office in 2013 up until his termi- nation. “Some of the allegations raised in the report were not of his doings but the doings of some officers howev- er, he was in charge of the department, so he took the blame. I also welcome our new acting Secretary. I trust that he will continue to perform in the position of the acting Secretary until a new appointment is made by the NEC.” Mr. Sipison from the Autonomous Region of Bou- gainville is a surveyor by profession and was cadet surveyor for the Bougainville Copper Limited from 1980 to 1985 and later became a Volcano Surveyor at the Rabaul Volcano Observatory from 1987 to 1993. He later became an under ground mine surveyor at Pogera Gold mine for a short while before joining the Morobe Provincial Government as Provincial Surveyor from 1996 to 1998. Sipison was elected as president of the Association of Surveyors of PNG (ASPNG) from 1999 to 2001 and since then has been on the ASPNG council. He joined the Department of Lands and Physical Planning in 2001 as Regional Surveyor-Momase Region; until he became the Surveyor General of PNG in 2010. He is currently a member of the Surveyors Boards of PNG and also the Chairman of the Papua New Guin- ea Physical Planning Board and member of the Na- tional Capital District Physical Planning Board. Land Tok Our Vision: Land is availed to improve the quality of life for all citizens of Papua New Guinea Minister Benny Allen and Acting Secretary, Luther Si- pison at a press conference. Minister warns against illegal seling in and around urban areas Lands Minister, Benny Allen has warned people not to squat on state land in towns or cities throughout the country. Minister Allen issued the warning in light of the increasing number of settlers illegally squatting on state land around the fringes of the nation‟s capital. “Three (3) percent of land in PNG is owned by the state and most of these land is used up for various development. Meanwhile, we see our own people squatting on state land.” The Minister said they were faced with a lot of difficulties trying to address the settlement issue especially in getting people to move out from the land that they are squatting on. The Department of Lands and Physical Planning is preparing to initiate a major awareness cam- paign throughout the towns or urban centers and towns of the country to inform the people not to squat on state land. The Department will also be look- ing at carrying out a nationwide media campaign against illegal set- tlement on state land. “We will go to the media and put out public announcements to tell the people that if they want to build a house and settle in towns or cities, they must come forward and obtain land through the Land Board pro- cesses.”

Transcript of Land Tok · Land Tok Is-sue #1, 2016. Firstly, I would like to take this op-portunity to wish you...

Page 1: Land Tok · Land Tok Is-sue #1, 2016. Firstly, I would like to take this op-portunity to wish you all readers, our stakeholders, fellow state agencies and departments, the general

Issue #1 January —March 2016 A Publication by the Department of Lands and Physical Planning

INSIDE

Mr. Luther Sipison is the new Acting Secretary

for the Department of Lands and Physical Plan-

ning as of 10th December 2015 to 02nd March

2016.

This follows the revocation of former Secretary,

Romilly Kilapat who was terminated as of 10th De-

cember 2015 following an NEC decision No. 343

of 2015, Meeting No. 18 which also appointed Si-

pison as Acting Secretary.

Minister for Lands and Physical Planning, Benny

Allen made the official announcement in January

2016 saying the new acting Secretary will take up

office as of 10th December to 02nd March 2016 until

the Department of Personnel Management advertis-

es the position for a permanent appointment. Minis-

ter Allen said the decision came about following 15

Valuers urged to

register

Page 5

New executives for

Physical Planners

Association sworn in

Page 8

New vehicle for

lands officers

Page 3

Titles presented for

housing project

Page 3

Sipison is Acting Secretary allegations raised of which 6 had some substance by

the investigators. He said the cabinet has made the

decision however he expressed sincere thanks to the

former Secretary saying; he was a very good Secre-

tary when he took office in 2013 up until his termi-

nation.

“Some of the allegations raised in the report were not

of his doings but the doings of some officers howev-

er, he was in charge of the department, so he took the

blame.

I also welcome our new acting Secretary. I trust that

he will continue to perform in the position of the

acting Secretary until a new appointment is made by

the NEC.”

Mr. Sipison from the Autonomous Region of Bou-

gainville is a surveyor by profession and was cadet

surveyor for the Bougainville Copper Limited from

1980 to 1985 and later became a Volcano Surveyor

at the Rabaul Volcano Observatory from 1987 to

1993.

He later became an under ground mine surveyor at

Pogera Gold mine for a short while before joining

the Morobe Provincial Government as Provincial

Surveyor from 1996 to 1998.

Sipison was elected as president of the Association

of Surveyors of PNG (ASPNG) from 1999 to 2001

and since then has been on the ASPNG council.

He joined the Department of Lands and Physical

Planning in 2001 as Regional Surveyor-Momase

Region; until he became the Surveyor General of

PNG in 2010.

He is currently a member of the Surveyors Boards of

PNG and also the Chairman of the Papua New Guin-

ea Physical Planning Board and member of the Na-

tional Capital District Physical Planning Board.

Land Tok Our Vision: Land is availed to improve the quality of life for all citizens of Papua New Guinea

Minister Benny Allen and Acting Secretary, Luther Si-

pison at a press conference.

Minister warns against illegal settling in and around urban areas Lands Minister, Benny Allen

has warned people not to squat

on state land in towns or cities

throughout the country.

Minister Allen issued the warning

in light of the increasing number

of settlers illegally squatting on

state land around the fringes of

the nation‟s capital.

“Three (3) percent of land in

PNG is owned by the state and

most of these land is used up for

various development. Meanwhile,

we see our own people squatting

on state land.”

The Minister said they were

faced with a lot of difficulties

trying to address the settlement

issue especially in getting people

to move out from the land that

they are squatting on.

The Department of Lands and

Physical Planning is preparing to

initiate a major awareness cam-

paign throughout the towns or

urban centers and towns of the

country to inform the people not to

squat on state land.

The Department will also be look-

ing at carrying out a nationwide

media campaign against illegal set-

tlement on state land.

“We will go to the media and put

out public announcements to tell the

people that if they want to build a

house and settle in towns or cities,

they must come forward and obtain

land through the Land Board pro-

cesses.”

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The Land Tok Newsletter is a quarterly publication of cur-rent events, programs and initiatives undertaken by the Department of Lands and Physical Planning.

Executive Editor: Acting Secretary

Editor: Dep. Sec.-Corporate Affairs

Reports & Designing &

Artwork : Clera Sam

Printing: Government Printer

We welcome any positive stories you may have on Land and invite you to be a part of this Newsletter. For editorial comments or contributions, please write to: The Editor Land Tok Newsletter Department of Lands and Physical Planning PO BOX 5665 BOROKO,NCD

Ph: 301 3228 Fax: 301 3299 Email: [email protected] Website: www.lands.gov.pg

Welcome to

Land Tok Is-

sue #1, 2016.

Firstly, I

would like to

take this op-

portunity to

wish you all

readers, our stakeholders, fellow state

agencies and departments, the general

public and of course our staff, a happy

new year 2016.

The Government‟s focus for this year as

indicated during the 2016 Leaders Sum-

mit is: “Consolidating the gains &

growing the economy.”

Based on this, the executive government

has indicated an economic growth in

our GDP at 9.4 percent on average.

The challenge given to us by the Prime

Minister is to: „reform the Public Sector,

cut out the red tapes and processes that

impedes businesses from growing.‟

Land plays a vital role in ensuring there is

economic growth and business opportuni-

ties. Making land available is important

for development or other economic activ-

ities to take place.

The Department of Lands and Physical

Planning will continue to support the

Government‟s obligation as we maintain

a professional approach in ensuring there

is a transparent land management system.

The Lands Department will continue to

carry out its priority areas of:

1. Land Access

2. Lagis Enhancement and Program

3. Legislative Reviews

We have now established working comm-

-ittees to effectively and efficiently im-

plement these key priority areas.

I must say here that the Department

stands ready in ensuring the important

agendas of the Government are fully

supported in the best way possible

whilst we now focus on maintaining a

better and transparent land administra-

tion system.

With this, I wish you all the best in your

plans for this year 2016 and I hope you

enjoy and be part of our Land Tok

News letter throughout 2016.

Happy Reading and God Bless!

Luther Sipison

Message by the Acting Secretary

Titles presented to Special Economic Zone- Sepik Plains Oil Palm Development Project A total of 64 titles have been presented to the

Sepik Agro Industries Limited to pave way

for the development of the Sepik Plains Spe-

cial Economic Zone Projects (SEZ) in the

Yangoru Saussia District of East Sepik Prov-

ince.

Minister for Trade, Commerce and Industry,

Richard Maru in officially receiving the titles in

December 2015 expressed gratitude to the De-

partment of Lands and Physical Planning for

their tireless efforts in ensuring the titles were

finally processed to kick-start the necessary

procedures into this major national government

impact project.

The 64 titles will cover approximately 5,000

Hactares of land under a 40 million Kina initial

funding which is projected to create 300 jobs in

the first phase of the project.

“I want to thank the Minister and the Depart-

ment of Lands in releasing the titles to the Ka-

nauki State Land through the state company

„Sepik Agro Limited‟ which is owned by the

Kumuls Holdings Groups concentrated. It will

be the state investment vehicle for all our in-

vestments, the national joint venture partners

and major agriculture projects within the Sepik

Plains.”

The SEZ-Sepik Plains Oil Palm project was

officially launched in April 2014 following an

NEC approval under the SEZ concept in 2013 which

the NEC specifically approved a K100 million fund-

ing in the 2014 national budget.

In June 2014, the project team commenced a land

mobilization program in two phases. Phase 1: State

land identification and investigation and Phase 2:

Prerequisite awareness and paperwork for the Volun-

tary Customary land mobilization-for Survey and

ILG processes.

The state land identified and investigation reports

were then submitted to the Lands Department for

verifications and clearance to facilitate release of

formal titles to State Holding company- Sepik Agro

Industries Limited.

Minister Benny Allen presenting a title to Minister Rich-

ard Maru. (R) Acting Deputy Secretary, Land Service,

Lawrence N’Drombut.

Page 3: Land Tok · Land Tok Is-sue #1, 2016. Firstly, I would like to take this op-portunity to wish you all readers, our stakeholders, fellow state agencies and departments, the general

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Titles issued for Duran Farm housing project

A total of 63 titles were officially issued in a small but signifi-

cant ceremony in December to kick start the government’s

commitment of building affordable homes for its people.

Minister for Lands and Physical Planning, Benny Allen handed

over 63 titles to the Minister for Housing and Urban Development

Paul Isikiel in December 2015. The 63 titles were part of 5000

allotments under the National Affordable Housing Program.

Minister Isikiel said the 63 titles will be handed over to the Na-

tional Housing Corporation who will work on the individual ap-

plicants, mostly public servants.

“We have a working committee in place to identify successful

applicants. We want to give priority to public servants at the same

time give opportunity to the general public.”

The Minister further explained that the titles will be mortgaged to

the bank, once they identify the successful applicant.

Minister Allen further stressed that private citizens will also be

going through the private sector committee to apply.

“As you are aware, housing is a chronic issue in the country

and for the past 30 years, past and present governments have

been trying their very best to address this issue that is affecting

a lot of people in the country.”

I am confident as Minister responsible that we will over time;

deliver the 40 thousand houses that the government has an-

nounced at the beginning of 2015 for all citizens including

those at the District and Provincial Level.

With these, all Government Department will receive a total of

100 allotments each however; they will go through a screening

process where only successful applicants will be identified.

Gerehu 3B project will deliver 3000 houses, Duran Farm-5000

houses and NRI will have 3000 houses.

Minister Isikiel says the size of the Duran farm allotments is

0.06 Hectares and this gives the owners a choice of either ex-

panding their home or building a mansion or doing business on

the land.

Top Left: Minister Allen handing over a title for Duran Farm property to Housing

Minister, Paul Isikiel. Top Right: Model of the Duran Farm houses soon to be

built. The model houses show exactly the type of houses and the white goods that

come with them.

Lands Officers get new vehicle for Government’s Land and Housing project The Alienated Land Division was presented a ten seater

vehicle, thanks to the Department of National Planning

and Monitoring under the Government’s Affordable

Land and Housing Program.

The vehicle which also came with office equipment includ-

ing computers and printers were part of the K3 million

support towards the Lands Department to capacitate its

resources and enhance performance of officers to carry out

this important government project.

Secretary for National Planning and Monitoring, Hakaua

Harry during the official handover of the vehicle key said

since the land and housing program‟s commencement 3

years ago, the Lands Department has been receiving sup-

port and assistance from the National Planning in terms of

mobilization and capacity building particularly towards the

Office of Surveyor General, Office of the Valuer General,

Office of the Chief Physical Planner and the Office of the

Registrar of Titles.

Top: Alienated Land Division staff posing for a photograph in front of the

brand new 10 seater land cruiser.

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Land area at Turf Club outside Port Moresby not for sale Certain portions of land parcels at the

Turf Club outside Port Moresby are

reportedly being sold to settlers and this

is not right.

This is the statement from the Lands and

Physical Planning Minister, Benny Allen

who was speaking on behalf of the Depart-

ment following reports that certain parcels

of the land at the Turf Club have been sold

by certain individuals to settlers who are

believed to have put up structures and

building on that particular area.

The particular land parcels are Portions

939 belonging to Papuan Association In-

corporation and portion 2173 belonging to

Bomana Pony Club Inc.

The two portions of land are state land and

titles were issued to the two companies

since 1982 which automatically binds the

land parcels as property of the state.

“I hereby wish to warn the individuals

selling the land to other people that it is

not proper for them to put up develop-

ment or permanent structures there. They

should start moving out from portions

2173 and 939.”

The Minister added that once the 99 year

lease expires, the lease is renewed to the

lessee. It is understood that certain indi-

viduals were claiming the land parcels to

be customary land and therefore selling

them to squatters.

“We do not want to see developers evict

people who have bought land there so

they should start moving out from the two

portions of land.”

Meanwhile, the Minister also called on all

citizens throughout the country who are

planning to purchase land, to check the

status of land that are being put up for sale

before purchasing them.

CAO presented for the development of old Lae airport land The Department of Lands and

Physical Planning has finally hand-

ed over 3 Certificate Authority Oc-

cupancy to 3 Government Depart-

ments to develop the old Lae Air-

port.

Acting Secretary Luther Sipison in a

special presentation ceremony in Lae

recently (20th November 2015) pre-

sented the CAO to the National Judi-

ciary Service, Health Department and

Police Department.

In receiving the CAO, Lae based

Judge Justice Don Sawong said the

occasion of receiving the CAO was a

momentous one for the National Judi-

cial Services as it will now pave way

for them to build a new court house

for the people of Morobe.

“The move by the Government

through the Lands Department‟s

recognition of giving us land will

now enable us to build a new court

house that will separate lower courts

from the higher courts.”

Judge Sawong added that the Nation-

al Judicial System has over the years

spent millions of kina to renovate the

current old premises they were oper-

ating from along the Huon Road.

“We will house a new court building

and we are going to spend in excess

of 20 million Kina to construct a

The parcel of land covered under these Certifi-

cate Authorizing Occupancy (CAO) were pre-

sented to the following government depart-

ments:

National Judicial Services- Allotment 12

Section 375 Lae

Department of Health- Allotment 13 Sec-

tion 375 Lae

Royal Constabulary of Papua New Guinea

– Portion 64 Milinch Lae Fourmil Mark-

ham

Representatives from each government depart-

ments were present to receive the CAO.

new court house for the region which will

house 4 or 5 National Court Judges for

Lae.”

Meanwhile, the Angau General Hospi-

tal‟s plans for a national Cancer Unit will

now be realized through the establish-

ment of a new wing across the current

hospital premises.

Acting Lands and Physical Planning Sec-

retary, Luther Sipison in presenting the

CAO explained that the CAO‟s were only

issued to Government Departments and

not to business houses or individuals.

He further explained that the old Lae Air-

port land has long had controversies over

the particular portion however the subdi-

vision works to that particular land area

had begun 16 years ago.

He said the subdivisions were completed

soon after and portions were issued.

“Last year, we had a meeting in Lae and

it was at that meeting that we decided to

re-subdivide that section of the land and

give it to the government agencies that

really needed that land. That was when

we identified the Judicial Services, Po-

lice, Health and the NID Office.

“I just want to say that I am really pleased

and honored to witness the handing over

of the CAO. It‟s been over 18 years when

we started surveying this portion of land

for subdivision on this vacant land and

today, we complete the whole process.”

Acting Secretary, Luther Sipison and Justice

Don Sawong showing off the CAO after the

official presentation at the Lae International

Hotel.

The road leading up to the Turf Club outside

Port Moresby city.

Page 5: Land Tok · Land Tok Is-sue #1, 2016. Firstly, I would like to take this op-portunity to wish you all readers, our stakeholders, fellow state agencies and departments, the general

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Need for Valuers to register highlighted at annual conference

Valuers within the Lands Department have been urged to regis-

ter themselves with the PNG Valuation Registration Board as

this was a prerequisite.

This challenge was issued during the annual Valuer General‟s Of-

fice conference held in September 2015 in Kokopo.

It was highlighted during the conference that it was fundamental for

Valuers to be registered because the valuation certification for valu-

ation projects would now be strictly monitored and signed only by

registered Valuers.

The Valuer General who is also the Chairman of the PNG Valua-

tion Registration Board, Michael Gabriel told all officers of the

Valuation Division present that it was important for them to register

as this would be a requirement for recruitment in the upcoming re-

structure.

The officers were given a brief demonstration on the requirements

for registration as Urban Valuer based on the following pro-

cedure:

i) Submit Journals

ii) 2X Residential-Analysis of each valuation

iii) 2X Commercial

iv) 2X Industrial

v) Submission of Projects (PNGVRB)

vi) PNGVRB – Considers/Examines

vii) Approval- Viva Voca (Verbal Interview)

viii) Viva Voca approval

ix) Registration

The weeklong conference saw the Valuers discuss other

pressing issues including: Valuation Act Review, Communi-

cation between Regional Offices and HQ, Reappraisals and

Valuation Rolls for Small Towns etc.

Lack of reconciliation of plans identified as barriers in physical planning: Chairman Lack of reconciliation of development

plans with the current Government

approved policies and legislations de-

spite the many development plans sub-

mitted has been identified as a chal-

lenge for all planners throughout the

country.

President of the Physical Planners Asso-

ciation, Elias Masta in a recent media

statement highlighted that the country has

two major land-related policies which are:

the National Urbanization approved in

June 2010 and PNG Sustainable Land

Use Policy approved in 2015.

“The country has a comprehensive and

enabling Physical Planning Act of 1989

and Physical Planning Regulation Act of

2007 which have not been fully and

properly implemented to this day.

These policies and legislations if given

recognition and implemented accordingly

by all level of governments, the nation

will reap the fruits of a more satisfying

environment and balanced development

for our urban and rural areas.

He explained that the country has about

46.4 million hectares of land area howev-

er it is estimated that only 30 percent of

the land area is good for development

whilst the remaining 70 percent is either

mountainous or swampy and inundated or

difficult to develop.

He added that with the effects of climate

change diminishing many coastal land

areas which is continuing into the fore-

seeable future, there was surely an urgent

need to establish more stringent measures

for proper and a more effective planning

of Papua New Guinea‟s land use and phys-

ical development.

Physical Planning Association Chairman– Mr.

Elias Masta.

Left: Participants of the 2015 Office of the

Valuer General Annual Conference at the

Kokopo Village Resort-East New Britain.

Above: Staff of the Office of the Valuer Gen-

eral at the annual conference

Page 6: Land Tok · Land Tok Is-sue #1, 2016. Firstly, I would like to take this op-portunity to wish you all readers, our stakeholders, fellow state agencies and departments, the general

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Customary land group issues titles A customary land group in Milne

Bay Province has created history

when it presented a total of 54 cus-

tomary land titles to its occupants

in Alotau recently.

Toudikwa Land Group from the

Alotau LLG area was the first suc-

cessful customary land group,

amongst the 15 registered Customary

land title holders to have issued al-

most a hundred customary land titles

to its occupants or lessees over the

past 6 months.

The 54 titles were issued to most of

Toudikwa‟s lessees who currently

have properties on various allotments

at Toudikwa Estate at the Goilanai

area near Alotau town.

The 54 titles issued in December

2015 brings a total 99 customary land

titles including the 45 titles issued in

June 2015.

Toudikwa land group previously held

a Special Agriculture Business Lease

however, under the new Voluntary

Customary Land Registration legisla-

tions which came into effect in 2012,

Toudikwa land group unanimously

agreed to have its SABL removed

and re-registered under the new In-

corporated Land Group Act 2009

which finally paved way for them to

receive a Customary Land Title.

This now enables the landowners to

conduct business and economic ac-

tivities on their land whilst maintain-

ing the birth right ownership of their

customary land.

National Research Institute Director,

Dr. Charles Yala who is also the head

of the National Land Development

Program (NLDP) during the presen-

tation of the customary land titles to

Toudikwa land group executives;

said the process of arriving at the

final stage of producing customary

land titles for Toudikwa was not an

easy one.

Yala said under the new Voluntary

Customary Land Registration ar-

rangements, they were able to squash

the SABL that Toudikwa land group

previously held and apply various

legal requirements under the Surveys

Act, Physical Planning Act, Valuation

Act and Land Act to reach the final pro-

cesses of issuing a Customary Land Ti-

tle.

He commended Toudikwa for success-

fully re-registering their customary land

and ensuring titles were also given to

those who had interest in developing

their land by way of issuing them a prop-

er customary land title whilst they re-

main to hold the main title as the rightful

genuine land owners.

Department of Lands and Physical Plan-

ning‟s acting Deputy Secretary-

Customary Land, Andie Malo in his re-

marks during the presentation explained

that the actual task undertaken in the

process towards the issuance of the cus-

tomary land title was a very challenging

task however, they were happy to see a

successful outcome in the case of

Toudikwa land group.

He commended the Toudikwa executives for

their patience whilst encouraging other Incor-

porated Land Groups to come forward and

participate in the development of their land and

empowering themselves to conduct economic

activities on their land whilst maintaining own-

ership for the benefit of the future generation.

Alotau is a booming township in business

and tourism and the need for accessible land to

meet these demands for state land has been

eased with Toudikwa Incorporated Land Group

partnering the government through Department

of Land and Physical Planning in leasing out

its land to development partners.

Toudikwa is the first in the province to receive

a Customary Land Title under the new volun-

tary customary land registration arrangement.

It is also the first in the country to lease out its

land to its development partners.

National Planning and Monitoring Minister

and Member for Alotau, Charles Abel was

present to witness and present the titles to the

Toudikwa land group executives.

Toudikwa Chairperson Bernedia Waiguma receiving the batch of titles from National

Planning and Monitoring Minister, Charles Abel during the official presentation at Ma-

surina Hotel-Alotau.

Page 7: Land Tok · Land Tok Is-sue #1, 2016. Firstly, I would like to take this op-portunity to wish you all readers, our stakeholders, fellow state agencies and departments, the general

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No compensation claims to be paid in Port Moresby

As of 2016, there will be no more land compensation

claims to be paid out in Port Moresby.

Minister for Lands Benny Allen gave the ultimate following a

huge back log of land compensation claims that are yet to be

paid out.

Land owners from all over the country who have continuously

been following up on their compensation claims have echoed

their frustration on the delay in payment over the years result-

ing in an influx of landowners into the nation‟s capital.

In a brief meeting with the landowners outside the Land‟s

Department head quarters in Port Moresby on the 8th of Au-

gust 2015, Minister Allen informed the landowners on the

Government‟s position over the compensation claims saying

the Government for first time in 2014 allocated K25 million

for land compensation claims alone and these monies have

been exhausted to pay out claims.

He said currently there is K200million outstanduing claims to

be paid out however this year 2015 the Governemnt had only

allocated K20 million.

“It is difficult to pay out each and every one and therefore we

have to spread these money accordingly,” Minister Allen

stressed.

“This year we have paid K17 million out to land owners and

compensation claims. We have 3 million Kina remaining

therefore we will use these money to pay up land owners of

the two airports in Goroka and Manus whilst the remaining K1 mil-

lion will be used to repatriate the rest of the landowners currently

residing in NCD to follow up on their claims back to their villages.”

The one million kina was paid out to various land owners in De-

cember 2015.

He says it would be costly for people to stay in the city and wait for

their payment therefore the Government has decided to repatriate

land owners back to their villages and wait for the next disburse-

ment of funds in 2016 to make pay outs.

The monies were intended for the repatriation purposes only for the

landowners or landowner group members currently residing in Port

Moresby to return to their various provinces and wait for their pay-

outs at home.

The repatriation monies were given purposely to purchase airline

tickets so the landowners can return home instead of them waiting

for the next payouts here in Port Moresby.

This was to ensure the landowners returned back home and not wait

around in Port Moresby which is expensive and adds onto to their

daily cost of living.

The repatriation payouts were done at the Lands Department head-

quarters, Eda Tano Haus in Port Moresby.

Meanwhile, Minister Allen also emphasized that in 2016, land com-

pensation payments will no longer be done in Port Moresby.

The Minister says Lands Officers will be travelling to the various

provinces or districts to make compensation payments.

Lands Minister Benny Allen addressing landowners outside the Lands Office (Eda Tano Haus) in Port Moresby recently

Page 8: Land Tok · Land Tok Is-sue #1, 2016. Firstly, I would like to take this op-portunity to wish you all readers, our stakeholders, fellow state agencies and departments, the general

8

Staff encouraged to work together As the year winds down with Christ-

mas party celebrations happening in

many organizations, business houses

and government agencies, the Depart-

ment of Lands and Physical Planning

had decided to take a new approach of

celebrating the festive season by con-

cluding its working year with a prayer

dedication service.

As a way of complimenting a prayer

dedication service held at the beginning

of the year 2015, staff and management

of the Department were invited to the

dedication service held at the Reverend

Sioni Kami Memorial Church in Port

Moresby.

Upon the Dedication service theme:

Acknowledge God’s greatness and Glo-

ry, the staff were encouraged to work

together as a team to achieve the com-

mon goal under the Department‟s vision:

“Land is availed to improve the quality

of life for all citizens of PNG”.

Acting Secretary, Luther Sipison in his

message to the staff reassured them that

despite the changes that have occurred

over the past months, it was each and

every officer‟s duty to uphold and exe-

cute whatever task was required of them.

“If we can reflect back, during the past

11 months, a lot has happened in our

Department. God has allowed changes to

take place in the Department. I must

emphasize here that we are employed by

the government in this Department

called Lands Department and Land is

what we manage for the people and gov-

ernment of PNG.”

Mr. Sipison further encouraged all staff

saying they were officers of the Depart-

ment and also stewards of God‟s proper-

ty which was the „land‟ and therefore

they must serve the people and the gov-

ernment with loyalty, honest, dedication,

commitment and dignity.

“We are vessels and instruments that

God has placed in this Department for

the people of PNG. I urge all of us to be

true to ourselves and work as a Depart-

ment that is united, a Department that

will contribute positively to the develop-

ment of our nation.”

He said development takes place on the

land and so officers much be reminded

that what they administer is a very im-

portant sovereign commodity. He also

reminded officers to fear God when exe-

cuting their daily responsibilities.

“During my leadership, I want to see transfor-

mation in our work and moral ethics. I know

together we can bring about change in this

important department.”

Meanwhile, main celebrant of the year closing

service, Reverend Sir Samson Lowa in his

remarks welcomed all staff saying this was the

first time for a Department to dedicate its

working year and close it with a dedication

service. He told staff that changes were good

and despite the outcome of the changes it was

up to individuals to embrace these changes for

their own good.

United Church Reverend, Sir Samson Lowa

addressing the staff.

New Physical Planning Association members sworn in The newly established Association of

Physical Planners of PNG

(APPOPNG) has recently appointed

its new executive committee members

following its launching in September

2014.

The new executive members were ap-

pointed during a special AGM held in

November 2015.

The Association is now calling on all

physical planners throughout the coun-

try to come forward and register.

Registration fees include:

Full Members K110.00

Affiliate Members K60.00

Student members K30.00

Corporate members K500.00

The association has scheduled its first

Annual General Meeting in March

2016 with details soon to be an-

nounced.

Executive Members of the Physical Planners of PNG (L-R): Secretary- Amanda

Binoka, Treasurer- Linus Billy, Vice President- Vincent Pyati and President- Elias

Masta.