Promise to give land titles to settlers wrong

THE promise of giving land titles to settlers in Lae purportedly acquired from Ahi customary landowners is wrong, misleading and a political stunt to lure voters in this year’s general election (The National, June 5 2017, Page 9).
This type of campaign promises are unrealistic because giving out land titles over customary land is the sole responsibility of the Lands department under the Lands Act and is done after rigorous and lengthy processes including ILG registration, surveying, examination and registration before approval by the Lands Survey Board.
No other government department, public enterprise, private company, a public servant or any private citizen can issue land titles.
Lae City’s development, including the six Ahi villages are already captured in the Lae-Nadzab Urban Development Plan 2005-2015 where it encourages the landowners to develop their land with integrated land development projects retaining traditional ownership rights by registering their land through the ILG processes.
There is a structured approach in a plan to develop Lae City by 2022 that include settlements of all ethnicity so I encourage everyone to attend Sir Nagora Bogan’s power point campaign presentation when his team comes around your area.

NILPIS