The Evangelical Lutheran Church of PNG is encouraging settlers on portion 354 at Malahang, Morobe Province to “voluntarily vacate” the area.
Portion 354 was the centre of a Court proceeding that started in 2006 and finally came to a close on the 25th of March, this year, when Justice Paulus Dowa ruled in favour of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of PNG.
Settlers occupying that area were given four months to vacate the place; a period that lapsed on the 25th of July, which saw the ELCPNG advise settlers of the deadline.
“From the church’s end, our direct message to those settling on the land is, we want to minimise the pain as much as possible,” said national church secretary, Bernard Kaisom.
“Learning from Nagada, in Madang, em bikpla graun tumas lo Nagada – almost 350 hectares. This one is about 50 hectares. Half of it is Martin Luther Seminary.
“If they can voluntarily pull down their structures, keep it safe so that when they apply for lease, na ol mitim ol kraiteria weh mipla laikim lo em, then they can come back and put it up taim ol sainim proper lease agreement with the church.”
Kaisom said ELCPNG holds a freehold title to portion 354, which means the owner can develop the land at will, and there is no time limit to it.
He revealed that the church plans on leasing it out for residential and commercial purposes.
“We’re just waiting for this election period to end and then we’ll talk to the authorities to work out the best way forward.
“We want to make it a proper development – being the commercial lease and the residential lease – and make it a model type of residential area, where it’s more organised, more controlled. And whoever that is interested to lease a block – we are not selling it – has to show that they are capable of developing that place with a certain value of Kina.”