Trouble in Hides

By MALUM NALU
A GROUP of landowners has blocked the entrance to PNG LNG project in Hides, Hela, demanding that the Government address their grievances.
Prime Minister Peter O’Neill told The National yesterday the Government was not aware of what the grievances were but would send a team to Hides to find out.
“We are monitoring the situation on the ground and will send a team to address their concerns,” he said.
“This is unfortunate as we are not told of their grievances for us to address.”
The landowners are from the Hides PDL 7 (Petroleum Development Licence), according to landowner leader Larry Andagali.
Chief Secretary Isaac Lupari said landowner leaders were camped at the entrance to the PNG LNG project but were employees in and out.

They are giving the Government until today (Monday) to address their grievances or they will close the project.
Lupari said what they were doing was unfair as the clan-vetting process was yet to be completed.
He said Government agencies would meet today to address the situation.
Hela provincial police commander Michael Welli confirmed the blockade.
Andagali, the landowner leader of Hides PDL1, said they were supporting the call by Hides PDL 7 landowners to shut down the LNG project indefinitely.
“This Government has taken five-and-a-half years since the signing of last and final LBBSA (Licence-Based Benefit Sharing Agreement) at Hides PDL1 Nogoli Camp on Dec 7, 2009,” he said.
Andagali said the clan-vetting and landowner identification process was taking too long.
“I will not allow landowners’ shares to be parked under an unknown and not-proven entity just to milk our benefits through high consultant management fees,” he said.
Andagali claimed that in the absence of leaders, the Hela provincial government had misappropriated millions of infrastructure development grant funds for different license areas in Hela.
Andagali, who was responsible for negotiating for the IDG funds, said the breakdown per annum was Hides PDL 1 K20 million, Hides PDL 7 K16m, Angore PDL8 K12m, Juha PDL9 K11m, Angore PDL5/6 K11m, Pipeline Juha to Hides K2.5m, Pipeline Hides to Moro K2.5m.
“A total K73m per annum, K525m IDG for the landowners, have not served their purposes. Indeed a sad story for landowner,” he said.
Treasury Secretary Diari Vele said the benefit to landowners of the revenue from the LNG project should be realised in 2018 or 2019.