Allan confirms marine park plan

THE Department of Commerce and Industry has an environment plan in place for Madang’s Pacific Marine Industrial Zone (PMIZ) project, parliament was told yesterday.
Minister for Environment and Conservation Benny Allan gave the confirmation in a reply to deputy opposition leader and member for Bulolo Sam Basil.
Allan said the Department of Commerce and Industry, as the developer of the project, had submitted its environmental plan to his department.
He said the plan was screened by the environment council and signed by him in March.
“This is the first time a department has given its environment plan to another department,” he said.
He said copies of the environmental plan were available from his office and would be given to interested people like Basil and his colleague Sumkar MP Ken Fairweather.
Allan said it was an important project and everyone should be supporting it rather than trying to delay it.
“With all projects, there is always damage done to the environment but it was important the damage be minimised,” he said.
Allan said a special technical team comprising people from the departments of lands, mining and environment and conservation would look into the Hidden Valley project issues.
That, he said, included the MoA, environment and others.
Fairweather raised a point of order that the matter was before the court and should not be raised on the floor of parliament.
However, the speaker ruled that the motion was in order and the minister could respond to the question.