Comments on land compiled to help future disputes

The Department of Lands and Physical Planning is working with the National Research Institute to put together information on land gathered from four regional workshops.
Minister Justin Tkatchenko said a team from the department and institute were going through suggestions and recommendations from the workshops.
“(The workshop for) Momase, in Madang, New Guinea Islands, in Kokopo, Highlands, in Mt Hagen, and Port Moresby, in Southern, had recommendations, concerns and changes people wanted,” Tkatchenko said.
“We are putting them together now with the NRI officials.”
He said the team had met four times.
“Everybody’s comments, recommendations and concerns have all been recorded and are being addressed,” Tkatchenko said. A report would be submitted to the National Executive Council legislative then to Parliament.
“We had a good feedback from about a thousand customary landowners and participants which was an overwhelming success,” Tkatchenko said.
“The response, the turnout and the information gathered from our customary landowners were a success.
“We were there to listen, learn and not dictate. I would like to thank everyone for their constructive and important ideas and resolutions and appreciate their support.”
The national land summit to expose ideas from customary landowners for the four regions was held recently.
The summits received positive and negative comments and putting them together in a written form would help future land deals.