Prime Minister (PM) James Marape has assured the landowners of the land where the new state of the art hydropower dam project in Edevu in Central province stands that their outstanding land issues will be sorted out in due course.
The PM said this during the Edevu Hydropower Reservoir Impoundment ceremony on Friday 21st April. Marape told the landowners and their leaders that he and his team of ministers will be meeting with the Central Province Governor Rufina Peter and Member for Hiri Koiari Keith Iduhu on Tuesday 25th April to discuss and sort out the matter of the outstanding landowner issues, which includes royalties and equity for them.
“We’ll get your two local members, Minister William Duma and the team to go through what happened thus far,” the PM told the landowners.
Marape also told the landowners not to interfere with the operations of the new hydro dam project because their landowner matters are now the responsibility of the state to handle.
“Any issues with the land, any issues going forward, it is no longer investor business; it is government business.”
Meanwhile, both the Hiri Koiari Member and the Central Province Governor raised genuine concerns about landowner issues and benefits and would like to work with the Marape- Rosso Government to have better arrangements and agreements in place in the future for all project site landowners in the province going forward.