Landowners cover lighthouse in dispute over K50mil claim

By GLENDA AWIKIAK
Vabukori villagers of Moresby-South have given the State until Wednesday to pay up their outstanding claim of K50 million for the land on which the Port Moresby lighthouse stands.
Darahasi Kirakira Incorporated Land Group chairman Maiva Boa Henao said the lighthouse was built in 1914, but there had not been any payment made to the landowners for the land.
“It is now 104 years and the amount (owing) would be around K173 million,” he said.
“In a negotiation in 2016, we agreed on a reasonable amount of K50 million to be settled as first-installment payment.”
Henao said negotiations had taken place with Lands and Physical Planning Department and National Maritime Safety Authority.
“We want this payment to be made before the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (leaders’ summit), otherwise, we will remove the structure and shut the lighthouse – which will affect the operations of ships travelling into the Port Moresby Harbour,” he said.
“The lighthouse, including both night and day time signals will be switched off.
“When we shut the lighthouse in Dec 2016, we were promised payments to be paid in installments.
“However, since then, that has not eventuated. They have now given us no choice and we will keep this lighthouse shut.”
The claim has been with the Department of Lands and Physical Planning since 2009, Henao said.
The landowners had a meeting with the lands secretary and all division directors on July 14, 2016, about their claim. The decision was made in that meeting for payment on Oct 12 , 2016, Henao said.
He said no money was paid out so they referred the matter back to Lands in Feb this year.
Several follow-ups were made on the claim to the Office of the Minister for Lands and Physical Planning Justin Tkatchenko.
The most-recent was on Oct 31 seeking prompt response to their claims and pointed to previous follow-up letters with Lands’ officers.
Attempts to get comments from Tkatchenko and the NMSA yesterday were unsuccessful.