Group praises govt policies

 A LANDOWNER group from Enga has praised the Government for putting in place legislations and policies allowing landowners can take part in activities such as alluvial mines.

The  Lepyok-Saii Landowners Association from the gold-rich area of Kweokam  in Kompaim met last week in Wabag to discuss alluvial mining. Chairman Pon Kewaip said they wanted alluvial mining to get off the ground without any trouble. 

He said the landowners company would incorporate all the landowner groups.

Kewaip said the people could not continue to depend on the Government for economic opportunities when mineral resources were available on their land.

He said landowners had to use their resources.

One of the association directors representing the Poreyalin-Kombrau clan David Pyaki said the Kweokam gold deposit was discovered by Europeans in the early 1950s even before the giant Porgera gold mine in the same province.

But landowners then did not have the capital and the technical expertise.

Association secretary Peter Tambalo thanked the Mineral Resource Authority for setting up the new alluvia mining legislation. He said it would solve land disputes faced by landowner groups in holding up many mining activities in the Highlands region. 

Kambalo said if everything went to plan, Kweokam would be the first alluvial mining area in Enga.

It will benenfit the locals.