Chief gets land certificate after two-year court battle

A Koiari landowner has finally obtained his Incorporated Land Group (ILG) certificate from the Lands Department after two years of court battle and land mediation with opposition clans.
Moiha ILG chairman and chief Manga Kauka said yesterday that he was ready to work with the Government to develop a township and an industrial park on his land at Dogura and Bautama in the Central, just at the edge of the National Capital District boundary.
“I’m now ready to partner any developer to come and work with my ILG to develop our land and to stop land-grabbling and illegal settlements along the city’s fringes,” he said.
Kauka said that he was happy that the joint police and Lands Department Fraud Task Force team had cleared him after two years of investigation.
“Our ILG owns 5,000 hectares of customary land from 14-Mile to Bautama near the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) church-run Mt Diamond Secondary School.
“And while I was undergoing investigation and mediation, the ILG’s customary land was illegally subdivided and sold by non-genuine landowners.
“I will not honour those illegal arrangements because I will now give away all the ILG customary land to a developer to develop so that my children and grandchildren will benefit in the future.”
Kauka said that on July 15, 2018 they had an official ceremony at Farea village and handed over their customary land to NCD Governor Powes Parkop to implement Parkop’s vision of converting settlements into suburbs.
“But that arrangement did not work out because there were disputes filed against me.
“And now that I’m cleared, I’m ready to work with any developer.”