Call for honesty in land dealings

 INVOLVEMENT of customary landowners and honest dealing with them is a way forward for balanced land development, according to the director of National Research Institute Thomas Webster. 

“In order for the system to work, Geographical Information System (GIS) to work, we have to truly include the landowners,”he said.

Webster said a good example was a pilot project in Alotau – actually registered under the Registration Act and released underland development project.

“Landowners really need to build trust on the government and other stakeholders,” he said.

Three areas emerged from a Lae land development summit recently –land administration, settling disputes, and what mechanisms to use to allow customary land for development – important to land issues before the government.