Hela office urged to release K15mil

By EMMANUEL MAIPE
HIDES Petroleum Development License 7 landowners yesterday called for the immediate release of the K15 million Infrastructure Development Grant  from the Hela Transitional Authority’s account for project developments.
In a meeting yesterday, the landowners expressed concerns about the IDG payments for the landowners paid by the state, and demanded release of the grant to them before the election started.
The IDG was paid by the state for infrastructure development. It was paid to the authority’s account and has been sitting there for some time.
Many landowners at the meeting wanted the money released before the issue of writs on Friday week.
Hides PDL 7 resource owners chairman Andy Hamaga said the authority was yet to facilitate the payments to landowners.
Hamaga said the money would be paid to a list of local companies that were engaged in the LNG project as contractors with the developer, ExxonMobil.
He said the money was for development projects that would take place in the PDL 7 area.
The projects will include building of infrastructure such as school libraries, water projects and other developments that were nominated in the License Based Benefit Agreement.
Hamaga said the payments must be paid according to the list that was provided to the Hela Transitional Authority.
He said no additional companies should be added to that list.
Hamaga said ExxonMobil wanted to pay them K2 million for damages to the environment when building the conditioning plant.
But he wants the company to hold onto the money until a full assessment is completed on the extent of damages so that the issue could be addressed properly.