Do consultation before implementing land policy: Official

WIDE consultation has to be done before implementing the national sustainable land use policy which will affect people, says an official.
Chief physical planner with the Department of Land and physical planning Linus Billy said the policy once approved by the National Executive Council would impact lives whether they were on State or customary land.
“We will look at development and promotion targeting towns and cities, work with the Conservation Environment Protection Authority (Cepa) for conservation areas and sustainable areas where villages are,” Billy said.
For rural areas, he said the policy would ensure that when a development was to take place, there had to be some sort of buffer zone to protect villages.
The policy will look at declared planning areas where the State leases are and the conservation areas on land and sea.
Customary landowners will be guided on how they can contribute towards land development.
For example, a customary landowner who lives upstream cannot engage in a development project which may pollute the river system.
“They may have the land but (do not know) how to use the land,” he said.