Landowners urge govt to hold project-related agreements

PNG LNG upstream landowners have called on the Government to hold urgent reviews of all project-related agreements with a view to executing them once and for all.
According to mouthpiece landowners association, Gigira Laitepo Palamanda Association Inc, the timing was now ideal for honouring all overdue agreements.
Association chairman Tuguyawini Parindali said the timing was right for the Government to direct key stakeholders in the oil and gas industry to review all project agreements and the entailing benefits due, especially to the people as the natural custodians of resources derived from their land.
“We have outstanding beneficiary issues between Hela and Southern Highlands under project agreements sanctioned by the Government, project partners and the landowners,” he said.
“We call on the prime minister (James Marape) to direct the Department of Petroleum and Energy, Department of Provincial and Local Government Affairs, Hela and Southern Highlands governments to convene a roundtable discussion to deliberate and decide on benefit sharing between Hela and Southern Highlands.”