Highway landowners assured of payout

 AFFECTED roadside settlers, property owners and traditional Wampar landowners along the Lae-Nadzab super highway have been assured of fair compensation. But they were told that spin-off contracts have yet to be given out.

John Kaio, the Lae-Nadzab super highway project director under the Department of Works, gave these assurances in response to concerns raised by the affected communities through a petition to the Morobe provincial government last week.

Wampar leaders had pointed out the lack of consultation in the petition.

Kaio said as part of the processes and actions to be undertaken in the K540 million project, affected people within 40 metres of the defined road corridor would have their land and properties surveyed, valued and certified before the consultation process begins.

“There is no contract given out yet but will be given as soon as a highway survey has been done,” he said.

“As soon as we establish the value, consultation with landowners will began.

“We haven’t missed that out, we will come to you.”

Kaio said the responsible thing by the government was the demarcation for a 70-30 contract ratio where 30% of the project would be contracted out to local Morobeans and Papua New Guineans while developer China Railway International would claim the rest.