Landlowner policy looked at

 TRADITIONAL landowners deprived of benefits on the use of their land by the State must be compensated by way of equity ownership, Minister for Public Enterprises and State Investments Ben Micah says.

Micah said a policy document was now with the ministerial economic committee for deliberation. It will be referred to the Treasury Department for its input.

“Hopefully, the Treasurer can conclude his department’s input on the document and then NEC will deliberate on it before coming to parliament,” he said. Micah was responding to a question by Lae MP Loujaya Kouza on a Cabinet submission regarding landowners’ benefit-sharing package.

Kouza said during phase one of the tidal basin opening in Lae last year, Micah talked about an NEC submission on benefit-sharing packages for landowners on which the tidal basin project was located.

She said clan who owned the land wanted to know the progress of the NEC submission because the tidal basin development was now entering phase two without any word from the Government.

“The Bosulum and Wapi Guhu clan in the Butibam village continue not to be recognised by way of benefit-sharing agreement by the IPBC and the minister himself,” Kouza said. 

She said the resources benefit-sharing packages not only concerned the landowners in Lae but others in the country.