Central should give green light for town development: Rosso

National

MINISTER for Lands and Physical Planning John Rosso has clarified that the land boundaries between Central and the National Capital District (NCD) are clearly defined.
He told Parliament in response to Kairuku-Hiri MP Peter Isoaimo’s query on the Hiri-Vanapa-Sogeri (Hivaso) concept that it was just a planning idea by the National Capital District Commission to develop small towns. He said the proposed towns and most of the Hivaso borders were inside Central which its provincial government should be consulted about.
“It is up to Central province whether to say yes or no because it is within its boundaries,” he said.
“There are actual physical planning boundaries for the whole of NCD. They cannot overstep into Central areas.” NCD Governor Powes Parkop said the Hivaso plan was not created by the NCDC but the Department of National Planning.
Meanwhile, Rosso also said that all alienated land in the country legally belonged to the Government.
He was responding to another query from Isoaimo on whether the customary landowner or the state owns the land after the 99-year lease has expired.
Isoaimo said customary landowners thought that when the 99-year leases expired, the land reverted to them.
But Rosso explained that the law clearly stated that all such alienated land should revert to the state through the lands minister as the custodian.