Stand-off looms over old airport land deal

By YEHIURA HRIEHWAZI
A COMPANY has moved about 40 large cargo containers onto a section of the old Lae airport, a move likely to spark a confrontation with the Morobe provincial administration.
Two weeks ago, deputy provincial administrator Patilius Gamato placed public notices in this newspaper banning all dealings involving the old airport land until the provincial authorities received urban development lease (UDL) documentations, which were attended to by consultant Kupo Akipoi.
Provincial administrator Manasupe Zurenuoc said last week that although the UDL with sections and allotment numbers were completed several years ago, the documentations were yet to be given to his administration.
In the absence of the UDL in the provincial administration possession, there cannot be any legal dealings involving the old airport land.
But unknown to the administration, certain people had purchased allotments of land through what observers have termed “illegal means”.
Mr Zurenuoc last Friday filed an application in the National Court of Lae to challenge any land dealings that had transpired without provincial government approval.
In one case, Morobe Governor Luther Wenge claimed last week that his signature was forged and a block of land at the old airport was sold for K700 to an Engan businessman, who mortgaged it for a K900,000 loan from a commercial bank in Lae.
When the Engan defaulted in the loan repayments, the bank took possession of the land and placed it on public tender and fetching K4 million for it from a large shopping chain in Lae.
The National could not ascertain yesterday if the shopping chain was behind the movement of containers onto the old airport last Saturday.


 

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