Company seeks clarification on letter

 By REBECCA KUKU

A COMPANY in Port Moresby has questioned why a letter from the Lands and Physical Planning Department to forfeit a piece of land came from the office of Sports Minister Justin Tkatchenko.

Kitogara Limited project manager Daniel Hii said the instruction to the company regarding the piece of land, identified as Portion 2569, Milinch Granville, Fourmil Moresby, in the National Capital District, was delivered from Tkatcheno’s office.

Tkatchenko on Wednesday handed over a letter to the people in Koki-Wanigela, saying the piece of land would be forfeited and given back to them for recreational purposes. He said the Lands Department had issued a letter to Kitogara Ltd to forfeit the land.

But Hii said the notice was in the form of a letter from Tkatchenko’s office – not from the Lands and Physical Planning Department.

The letter, dated February 4, was purportedly issued and signed by department Secretary Romilly Kila-Pat as “a delegate of the Minister for Lands and Physical Planning”.

Kila-Pat could not be reached for comment as he was out of the country yesterday. Officials at the department could not confirm whether he had signed the letter. 

The letter, addressed to Kitogara Ltd, said the company should explain why it had “neglected or failed to comply with the improvement covenants and conditions” on the lease agreement.

The letter advised the company that it had failed to pay rent for more than six months, with arrears totalling K22,500 as at January 1, 2015.

But Hii said only the 2015 lease rental of K7500 was outstanding. 

Hii said they were complying with the land lease agreement for commercial development.

“We have an approved locality plan and planning application approval from the NCD Physical Planning Board. 

“We are waiting for building approval before we start construction,” he said.

Meanwhile, Tkatchenko told Parliament yesterday that the piece of land at Koki belonged to the people and the State. 

Tkatchenko said the piece of land was created for a specific purpose for the people but was illegally given a title 15 years ago.

“Somehow, in the last 15 years, the land was given an illegal title and I want to correct the past wrongs as the current MP,”  Tkatchenko said. 

“I went with a lawyer, to the Department of Lands and put the case forward.”

He said when Kitogara bought the land for K3 million from a former lawyer, now deceased, it had no idea of its initial purpose.