By JOE GURINA
The National Capital District Commission is alleged to have used an unauthorized physical planning gazettal to execute its development agenda into the Central province borders.
The PNG Bulletin is reliably informed the gazettal of 2004 HIVASO physical planning area (PPA) which stands for Hiri, Vanapa, Sogeri was done without the consent of the traditional landowners.
Hiri Local Level Government (LLG) president Haoda Rogea who revealed this, said the matter will be investigated.
He has aligned his 19 LLG ward members to take up the fight against NCDC from pursuing its illegal land grabbing.
“We were not aware of such an instrument until late last year, when Governor Agarobe and myself and the provincial government team went to investigate,’’ Rogea said.
He said most of the land captured under the HIVASO physical plan is customary land whilst all the villages in Hiri are mapped in the physical plan.
Rogea noted the damage of boundary extension and illegal land grabbing started 20 years ago when the HIVASO physical planning area gazettal came into existence.
He said the LLG is in full support of Mr Agarobe’s intention to end NCDC’s alleged extension of its land boundaries in the pretext of development.
“We will take up the fight, tooth and nail to reclaim our customary land from NCDC that will go unchallenged,” Rogea said.
He said, “we are not against development but development should be done with honesty and transparency for the good of the people and the government.”
In a media statement released this week, NCD Governor Powes Parkop said NCDC had followed gazettal survey plans, maps and boundaries.
Parkop said he gave a gazettal map to his colleague Governor (Agarobe) showing the legal boundaries between NCD and Central in 2018 and he never complained.
Parkop said NCDC did not draw or demarcate the boundaries. He said if the Central Governor had any issue with the case, he can take the Department of Lands and the State to court.
Meanwhile, Rogea has urged all citizens of Hiri, Vanapa and Sogeri to put politics and differences aside and come together in this fight.
A meeting is expected today with all the concerned landowners. It will be spearheaded by president Rogea and the 19 ward members to discuss a way forward.