Landowners urged to register land

By JAMES APA GUMUNO
LANDOWNERS have been encouraged to form incorporated land groups (ILGs) to register their land and benefit from the resource boom in the country.
This important issue was pointed out at the second regional national lands development programme (NLDP) workshop for the highlands region in Mt Hagen, Western Highlands, on Monday.
NLDP programme manager Esekia Warvi said the resource boom triggered by rapid globalisation, industrialisation and investments placed landowners in a situation where they had to form ILGs and register their land.
He said landowners of registered land “will maintain ownership with titles over them and can easily lease them to developers and reap maximum benefits for generations”.
Warvi said multi-billion kina projects like the liquefied natural gas, petroleum, oil and agriculture developments including the rapid rural-urban migrations had placed immense pressure on land space.
He said the complexity with the customary land issues and ownership, coupled with land disputes had forced the government to establish a national lands development task force in 2005.
After many consultations, forums, investigations, research and a national lands summit in Lae, recommendations were made to the government.
Director of legal and policy with the Lands and Physical Planning Department Sheila Sukwianomb took a session on legal frameworks of the two new amended acts.
“The primary objective is to empower landowners to use their customary land for development fairly, equitably and in a convenient manner.”
Sukwianomb said.