Board will examine all land deals

 IDENTIFYING and reprocessing underdeveloped or fraudulently acquired land is a priority, the National Lands Board announced yesterday. 

Chairman Sam Wange said after the board’s first sitting yesterday it had dispatched lands officers in Port Moresby and four other provinces to physically take stock of all State land and identify whether they have met requirements in their applications at the department.   

Wange said the exercise was initiated to implement government policies to combat corruption, which the board had identified and the exercise was the first and effective step to take. 

“This is to implement the government policies to fight corruption at the board level where we make decisions,” he said.

“All land applications will be determined on merit. You follow the process and do it right you get the land. 

“So starting today (yesterday) my board officers are driving around the city inspecting all lands physically to see if the applicants are telling the truth in their land applications or are telling lies to acquire land. 

“This is a start and we want to do it right for the good of the people, country, government and everyone,” he said.  

Wange said the exercise was to identify duplicate land titles attained under falsified applications.