Porgera landowners organisation urges govt to address outstanding issues

PORGERA Mining Impacted Landowners Organisation wants the Government to address the outstanding issues of environmental damage, human rights abuses, breaches in tenement agreements and land rentals.
The landowners also want the Government to explain when the K210 million allocated in the 2022 Supplementary Budget to clear a backlog of claims accrued during Porgera Mine operations would be paid.
Lower Porgera Landowners Association Inc chairman John Pole Pokoli said in Port Moresby on Friday that the Government should tell them how the K210 million would be allocated to various landowner associations.
The legacy issues relate to outstanding rentals, non-inclusion in the riverine water rate payments as well as the environmental damages and human rights abuses emanating from the operations of Porgera Gold Mine.
Some of these cases registered 25 to 30 years have remained outstanding.
“The various impacted groups, associations and companies have comprehensively documented their respective cases/claims and lodged with the operator of the mine and the responsible government agencies,” Pokoli said.
“The Government has recognised the existence of these outstanding legacy issues which pose a threat to the resumption of mining.”
He said the K210 million was to resolve these issues by way of monetary compensation.
Paiken Landowners Association chairman Thomas Petale said the continued delay in settling the legacy issues would delay the resumption of the new Porgera Gold Mine as the claimants were custodians of installations such as power supply lines, tailings, access roads, water supply and airstrip.
The landowners associations reserved the right to take legal action by way of court orders.