Minister says housing body will rise up

 By CLEMENT KAUPA 

HOUSING Minister Paul Isikiel has assured the nation that moves are underway to restore the National Housing Corporation to its former glory.

The Corporation plans to build new homes and offer the old ones to long-time tenants under the home ownership scheme, the Markham MP said.

And it has roped in ANZ bank as its financing partner. The bank has already established an office at NHC headquarters in Port Moresby.

Isikiel said in Lae that there would be no mass eviction of NHC tenants, an announcement that came as a relief to thousands of long-time tenants, including those in Lae.

“We are in the process of rolling out a number of large constructionprojects of low cost homes in Port Moresby and Lae,” he said.

The partnership with ANZ involves a financing arrangement and will be a win-win situation for stake-holders, especially public servants who are being targeted to buy homes. 

“But we are not looking at evictions being a viable option,” he said.

“Some tenants have taken over from their parents and have been living in our properties for 20 to 30 years.

“We cannot just remove them. 

“We must properly identify the properties, value them and offer tenants the option to purchase them,” he said.

Isikiel also announced plans to rehabilitate all NHC offices in the country.

“I have seen the state of our provincial offices and I am in the process of procuring contractors to maintain all run-down NHC offices before buying them new vehicles.”