Minister for Lands and Physical planning

Minister for Lands and Physical Planning, John Rosso, said as PNG is venturing into the future, urban electorates would be impacted with new changes taking place and thus lands should not be sold.

“Land is a very sensitive issue; we need to speak in a holistic manner that every person should work together to solve those problems,” he stated.

One of the main challenges faced by the Government is the issue of locals selling their land then blaming the government.

“Our land, our life, our future lies in our hands; we should take care of it.”

The Minister stated that the director of fraud will be handing over the three officers, who will be permanently based in the lands department.

Tkatchenko reiterated that the officers’ first objective would be to go through more than 400 files and complaints laid in the lands department over the last six months.

“This is not a witch hunt, it is finally an opportunity to open doors to the lands department so frustrations and complaints can be dealt with accordingly. Enough is enough!”

Minister for Lands and Physical Planning, Justin Tkatchenko, announced this yesterday, stating the Lands Department will now begin measures to assess appropriately all companies who deal with them.

Tkatchenko explained that the reason for this development is due to some foreign investors who have not been doing the right thing by the governing laws, especially under the Investment Promotion Authority and tax compliance.

“Foreign investors must follow rules and regulations set by the government when acquiring state land,” said the Minister.