A Community 25 kilometers away from Lae City, along the
Lae-Nadzab Highway in the Morobe Province of Papua New Guinea has made a move
that will allow them to stay in control of their land during the 600 million
kina upgrade to the Highway.
Yalu locals have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with
Chinese Railway international to allow them to lease land for a base camp,
while they build the six hundred million kina highway.
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| Yalu Village |
The Mapong Business Group signed a Memorandum of
Understanding with the company on Friday, 17th January 2014 at a
ceremony witnessed by the community.
“We aren’t selling the land, we are leasing the land,” says,
Dominic Mark spokes person of the Business Group established to manage
commercial land owned and leased by several Yalu clans to the Chinese company.
“This land will be their base camp, everything will be
stationed here, while they build there base camp,” he said.
With this arrangement the people will be compensated through
the Business Group-the land, hasn’t been sold to the company, it has been
registered has commercial land owned by the Business group owned by the Yalu
clans.
The idea is to
generate revenue for the people’s coffers and provide employment to youth’s and
keep them out of trouble.
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| Mapong Business Group |
The Business group has discussed working conditions for the
locals, and it’s understood that two agreements were signed on the fifteenth of
this month, that includes arrangements that should suit landowners.
“ The conditions are contained in two agreements signed on
the 15th of this month (January 2014),” he said.
Chinese railway international is the same company spear
heading the muti-million kina Lae Ports
extension.
During the signing of the Lease agreement on Friday, the
company’s management said they are perfecting their involvement to the
satisfaction of the people.
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| China Railway International |
The government has pumped over 600 million kina into the
four Lane Highway from Lae to the Nadzab airport, the first phase will start at
Bugandi Secondary School and end at the Bulolo Highway junction.
This is something thaty the government has been trying to
get across, that people should form groups, register their land under it and
lease it out and not sell it.
Trade and Commerce Minister, Richard Maru on his visit to
the area last year for cocoa projects has also ensured that the people keep
stake in their lands and as more people become aware of the value of their
land, they now have the opportunity to safe guard what they’ve inherit- keep in
control of their birth right and not
become spectators in developments happening right at their doorstep.
