Morata wants to be part of Kaupa’s plan for settlements

Moresby North-West ward 10 councillor Jonathan Afuti supports the move by Housing and Urbanisation Minister John Kaupa, pictured, to upgrade settlements to suburbs.
Afuti said the bold move to address the issue is an answer to many mothers’ prayers in the settlement communities around the city.
“When I read the newspaper and saw that the 9-Mile Morobe block would be a pilot project for the upgrading of settlements into suburbs project, with other settlements to follow, I was so happy,” he said.
“For us in Morata, the community has been working together to get tittles for their land and we are now appealing to Kaupa to please think of us too.”
Afuti has also called on their MP, Sir Mekere Morauta, to work with the housing and urbanisation minister, lands minister and National Capital District Governor Powes Parkop to ensure that settlements in their electorates were included in the upgrade.
The suggestion to upgrade settlements was initially made by Parkop.
“We have invested a lot of money into our homes despite not having tittles, we have managed to build our own homes,” Afuti said.
“We have also for the last couple of years been working together as a community to obtain land titles from the Lands Department.”
Afuti said the government should recognise the community’s efforts and assist people obtain land tittles.