Leaders say honour all lists for payments

National, Normal
Source:

The National, Tuesday 14th Febuary 2012

PROBLEMS associated with infrastructure development grant (IDG) payments for owners of the liquefied natural gas in Southern Highlands have resurfaced.
Hides PDL1 landowner leaders Willie Wandiya, who is also chairman of JP Karai Hides Association and Hides Gas Resource Ltd, Peter Potape and landowner chief Stanis Talu yesterday claimed that two lists containing names of genuine landowners were with Treasury and Finance Minister Don Polye and Petroleum and Energy Minister William Duma.
They said the names on these lists had not been included in the list for payments about to be released by the Department of National Planning.
“We demand that the lists kept by Polye and Duma be also included, or we will go to court,” Wandiya, Potape and Talu said yesterday.
“We ask that Polye and Duma intervene quickly and resolve the matter before anything gets out of hand.”
They said it was obvious that paper landowners had laid claim to the payment processes because all umbrella companies had been excluded from the list before National Planning.
Meanwhile, local level government representatives in Komo had called on the government to release outstanding monies owed for the construction of the council chambers.
Komo LLG president Thomas Potape said of the K6.5 million submission made to the national government, they had only received K600,000.
“Peter O’Neill, when as treasurer, had visited Komo and knows very well that there is no hausman there.
“Of a K650,000 commitment he made then, we have received K600,000.
“Ministers Don Polye and William Duma also know that Komo, as the host local government, does not have its hausman,” Potape said.
He claimed since the LNG project started, the Komo council had not benefited from any infrastructure projects.
“We have completed all scope of works and have mobilised
the materials. We now need the resources to put up the building structure.
“This is not a new submission but an outstanding infrastructure development that needs to be settled,” Potape said.