Tenants form committee to fight evictions

By JIMMY KALEBE
TENANTS evicted by the National Housing Corporation (NHC) in Lae have formed an interim committee to help them fight the evictions which they claim were illegal.
Some evicted tenants over the years claim to have titles to the properties they were forced out of.
Others evicted were on the grounds that they owed money through payment arrears.
Some claim to have tried their best to settle those arrears but NHC had failed to work with them to settle the issues.
Last Monday, at least 10 evicted tenants met and put in place an interim committee that would speak and act for them.
Interim chairman of the committee Dick Karim said many NHC tenants who were affected had gone their own ways in the past to claim their properties back but most of them fought a losing battle.
“We have tried our best to get back our properties.
“Some even went to courts while others tried to seek assistance from other relevant authorities but the end result is not always favourable,” he said.
He said the formation of the committee would represent the members take their issues to relevant authorities for justice.
“This exercises carried out by NHC and its agents have severe impact on many families.
“They were moved out of their houses which they have title to.
“Some have been living there for more than a decade or two.”
NHC legal officer based in Lae Matthew Limu recently announced that tenants with outstanding arrears must pay up or face eviction.
Limu said more evictions were expected in the near future so tenants had to see them (NHC) in their Lae office to find ways to settle arrears immediately.
In a meeting with Lands and Physical Planning Minister and Lae MP John Rosso on Monday, the tenants present him with a 10-point petition.
Among the points, they called for an independent investigation into NHC’s Lae office to verify how those evictions were carried out and if they were legal.
Rosso assured the tenants that he would take the matter up with Housing Minister Justin Tkatchenko to verify some of their concerns raised in the petition.