Landowners upset over new hospital

By GYNNIE KERO and YVONNE KAMBIBEL
ENGA governor Grand Chief Sir Peter Ipatas says the new provincial hospital will bring service to the people in the province.
He said the land on which the hospital was built had been bought by the State.
“I’m a landowner myself,” he said.
“Stop playing politics.”
Sir Ipatas stressed that people got displaced whenever there were projects happening on their land.
“If you are a landowner and you have a problem, go home and take it to relevant authorities,” he said.
Sir Ipatas made these comments following concerns raised by landowners from the Apulin-Talyul-Wakemane clan whose land on which the hospital was built.
A group of landowners from the clan met over the weekend in Port Moresby and expressed dissatisfaction over the leadership of Sir Ipatas in relation to the hospital project. Among other things, the group described the hospital project as a scandal.
One spokesperson for the group, Frederick Punangi said Sir Ipatas, who is also a member of the landowning family, had taken advantage of their years of loyalty.
“K500 million is a lot of money, after the contractors hand over the keys to the provincial government, who will meet the rest of the expenses at the hospital?” he said.
“It’s a very big hospital which would cost millions to maintain and where would the governor get the money for that?”
Other spokespersons Steven Punagi and Walter Yangomina shared similar sentiments.
They said taking away 35 hectares of their land was like taking their kaukau (sweet potato) gardens away from two to three generations of subsistence from them.
“Ever since the project started, there had not been any spinoff benefits for us the landowners.”