Support for DDA Act

I AM the district lands officer in North Fly district, Western.
With the mining operations of Ok Tedi Mining Ltd (OTML) and numerous oil and gas prospects within the district, making land available for the growing demand for various land use demands has been a stress, with the existing bottleneck, centralised functions, preventing development initiatives at district level.
I support the recently enacted DDA Act 2014, which gives more power to districts to spearhead development with DSIP funds.
However, the DDA Act must incorporate development aspirations by expanding the functions of the Authority as specified under Section 5 subsection (b) to develop, build, repair, improve and maintain roads and other infrastructure; and (d) to oversee, co-ordinate and make recommendations as to the overall district planning, to be amended to include overseeing the functions of the land board and physical planning board at the district level.
With the current review of various legislations and acts of our country, this will enable district administrations to flourish with development initiatives, rather than awaiting lengthy and costly provincial board or in our case, due to the absence of provincial and national boards to drag on development agendas.
The core of the DDA board can comprise MPs, LLG presidents and district administrators with technical expertise from the Lands and Physical Planning Office.
This proposal can be further deliberated to provide a way forward to develop this great nation of ours, with development plans at district level moving with the changing times and demands of modernisation and urbanisation.

Alexander Karahure,
North Fly, WP