Dept: Province has no lands structure

 By ELIZABETH MIAE

NORTHERN does not have a provincial lands structure within its administration to cater for land services, Lands Secretary Romilly Kila-Pat says. 

He said most provinces had the structure which accommodated most of the national functions therefore were able to provide land services. 

“Oro (Northern) does not have that structure. Most of the people in Oro are travelling to Port Moresby for us to provide the services,” Kila-Pat said last Tuesday. 

“I’m telling them to go back to the province and start there and we will deal with it later. That’s one of the challenges that they’re facing.”

Kila Pat said the department was willing to assist the provincial administration establish its structure.

He said he had discussed the matter with the lands adviser in the province and advised him to propose a structure to the provincial administration and have it approved. 

“There’s only one officer in the province and it’s difficult considering that the Lands Department doesn’t administer only one legislation. We are one of a few government departments which administers many legislations,” he said.

“We administer the Land Act, Land Registration Act, which is administered by the Registrar of Titles, Survey Coordination Act (Surveyor General), Physical Planning Act (Chief Physical Planner) and the Valuation Act (Valuer General).”

He said the department would assist the provincial administration establish a fully fledged structure and delegate some powers to the administration so it could fully function.