Debate rages over ownership of logging land

By HELEN TARAWA
Logging in Wanigela, Northern, has become the centre of controversy as landowners from two factions are claiming to be legitimate owners of land which is partly State-owned and customary.
Another group from the Rowagi customary owners claimed that they owned the land on which the log pond and jetty areas at Komabun were located.
The spokesman of the customary land group ,Ted Ufat Taru, told a press conference that two factors determined a logging or forestry-clearing operations.
Taru said in any forest logging developments, there must firstly be a forest area and somebody must hold a licence to the forest area.
“I am the owner of the Komabun area, the log pond and jetty area,” he said.
“My two brothers and I are the owners and somebody else has signed a commercial deed of lease claiming to be a landowner.
“There must be a forest area for the Forest Clearing Authority (FCA) to be issued,
“I’d like to know the forest areas and who holds the licence over that forest area.
“The contract that was entered into over an area covering 42,000 hectares.
“I’d like to know how Portions 135, 136 and 137 all add up to 42,000 hectares.”
Taru said there were countless errors and omissions in the submission by the contractor to deliberately mislead the state.
He claimed that the customary land was unlawfully occupied six months before the FCA was actually approved by the PNG Forest Board.
“No proper due diligence was conducted by the authenticity of the submission by the contractor … and its employees, agents and representatives,” Taru said.
“PNGFA failed miserably to do its job failing to observe and apply compliance provision of its own act hence this problem.”
The other faction representing the Dumare clan of Aisor tribe in Wanigela said they had a 99-year lease over portions 136 and 137 for agriculture development purposes.
This group claims they had developed a land-use plan within the provisions of law and intended to acquire a cocoa export licence
by developing about 5000 hectares of hybrid cocoa over the next 10 years.
They had resettled 62 families into 62 eight-hectare blocks on portion 136, and had undertaken a compulsory cocoa development programme on acreage of the lease blocks given to families.