Settle issues outside court: Landowner

A landowner from the PDL 2 (petroleum development license) area of Kutubu, Southern Highlands is urging everyone to solve concerns relating to benefits outside of court.
Yaferaka integrated landowner group (ILG) chairman Sakai Kei urged all recipients of the memorandum of agreement funds from the Kutubu project to reconcile.
He claimed that a lot of people who were not customary landowners were receiving funds earmarked for PDL 2.
The Kutubu agreement fund is a grant pledged by the State to be used for various project in the Kutubu project area.
“A total of K89,579,000 for PDL 2 customary landowners like my ILG and myself have been paid to people and entities that are not impacted or affected or not owning a single customary land in PDL 2, Kutubu project,” Kei said.
“There are only few I can say that are genuine landowners.”
He said the Yaferaka ILG had withdrawn its membership from the Namo’ Aporo Landowners Association Inc in 2019.
Kei urged the Petroleum and Energy Department to complete the clan vetting exercise for the PDL 2 area to address disputes in economic participation.