Firms, residents urge State to stop eviction

By DALE LUMA
TAX paying businesses and residents of the Saiwara community at the ATS (Air Transport Wing) area of Eight-Mile in Port Moresby want the State to intervene and stop the National Airports Corporation from evicting them.
Community leaders were compelled make the call after NAC recently started putting out public notices and running awareness in the community for the tenants to vacate portion 2965 by the end of the month.
The 5,000-plus residents presented a petition to North East MP John Kaupa over the weekend asking for Government intervention.
Businessman Abraham Kewa, who owns a rental property in the area, said he had spent K500,000 to build his property and now faces the risk of losing it.
Kewa said he had been living on the site for the past eight years and hand initially purchased it for K18,000. “I bought this land and developed it,” he said.
“I started off by selling water bottles.
“I then bought a taxi and, from there, moved into property.
“My property is housing both private and public sector workers.
“I am providing a service.”
Kewa said he was married with children and eviction from the land would put his family and many others under duress and was not fair.