The Manam Resettlement Authority will commence work in the resettlement sites for the displaced Manam people on the North Coast of Madang this month.
Initial improvement and construction work is expected to get underway at the Bogia District administration headquarters, which is anticipated to also house the operational office of the Authority.
Priorities for the Manam Resettlement Authority are the establishment of the Bogia station and commencement of civil works on the section of the access roads to the Andarum Resettlement area.
Chairman Ken Fairweather said contracts for these two priority areas have been awarded.
Monitoring and evaluation mechanisms have been set up, such as register to begin the block allocation for displaced Manam islanders still living in the three care centres.
Search and title identification process has commenced with the Lands Department for the land where the three care centres are located and proposed land at Nubia plantation.
Fairweather says the MRA’s main objective is to do a coastal resettlement in Nubia, with similar block allocation to that of the Gazelle restoration exercise in East New Britain.
The Madang Provincial Government is funding the first phase of the resettlement exercise of the Manam people, and has been thanked for allowing MRA to commence its mandated role in settling the displaced islanders.
Stage 2 of the resettlement implementation will commence once the National Government releases the K20 million funding commitment.
Minister for Inter-Government Relations, Kevin Isifu, said the Manam issue has been outstanding and was procrastinated over 15 years.
The lack of cooperation and coordination amongst the relevant stakeholders has been one major hindrance to the resettlement process.
The swearing in of the board and appointment of the Acting CEO for the Authority was done only last month.
(Manam islanders filepic)