Landowners want inclusion in Tokua Airport plans

By ABIGAIL APINA
LANDOWNERS of Tokua Airport land in East New Britain want to be included in consultative talks regarding new developments at the airport.
The Vunakapu Land Group have been identified as the legitimate landowners of the Tokua airport after the Lands Department conducted a formal and thorough social mapping in April 2010.
The group is urging the East New Britain provincial government and other relevant government statutory authorities to sort out “outstanding issues” of land payments before further development at the airport is discussed or planned.
The landowners said ENB was a premier province with a “model province” tag and should reflect this in addressing landowners’ issues.
They want the provincial government to be realistic in its public-private-partnership concept by including landowners as partners in development.
“For the past 27 years we have been mere spectators with regards to development taking place in our land,” a spokesman said.
They want  to be considered for economic activities associated with airport development plans.