Madang LOs call for royalty

The Madang Provincial Government has supported the landowners of the Ramul Nickel project by calling on the Government to pay their royalties as soon as possible.

The four major landowner chairmen met with the Minister for Mining, Johnson Tuke, recently to air their grievances.

In a meeting recently held in Port Moresby, the landowners from the Kurumbukari, Basamuk, Basamuk Coastal Pipeline and Maijuri inland pipeline urged Minister Tuke to give them feedback on their overdue royalty payments since the beginning of the project in 2013.

Toby Bare, chairman of Kurumbukari Landowners Association, said the landowners have been waiting patiently for the past years for the Government to hear their plight but nothing has been forthcoming.

He added that Ramu NiCo Management (MCC) Limited has the money to pay the landowners but are awaiting directives from the Government.

The landowners also raised concerns that they have respected the decision of the company but could not wait any longer.

Sama Melembo, chairman of the Basamuk inland landowners association, shared the same sentiments and urged the Government to fulfill its commitment.

Madang acting provincial administrator, John Bivi, has also supported the call from the landowners and urged the Government to pay the LOs.

Meantime, Minister Tuke has assured the LOs that their royalties will be paid.

He clarified that once an acting Mineral Resources Authority managing director is appointed, his priority task was to follow up on their payments.

A representative from the MCC and MRA was also present during the meeting.

The US$2.1bn Ramu nickel project in Madang is one of the largest and most ambitious mining and processing projects to have been successfully brought into production in PNG.

Construction was largely completed by 2012 and the plant has since been progressively brought into production.

(Minister for Mining, Johnson Tuke, fourth left, with the leaders of Madang)

Author: 
Freddy Mou