The National Government is faced with more than 200 million Kina in land compensation claims.
Lands Minister, Benny Allen, says the claims are from throughout the country.
He says, the Government allocated 20 million Kina in the 2015 budget for land compensation, and they have paid out about 17 million Kina.
"We are faced with the challenge of trying to pay everybody so what the department is doing is looking at the priority of the government. If the priority of the government is airports, roads, we attend to those ones first and then the other claims like for hospital or schools which are on customary land and attend to those."
Minister Allen was responding to questions by Madang Governor, Jim Kas, who wanted to know what the Government is doing to address compensation demands.
He's appealed to people to stop asking for additional payments on land acquired during the colonial administration.
Parliament rose to October. NBC /ONE PNG
Lands Minister, Benny Allen, says the claims are from throughout the country.
He says, the Government allocated 20 million Kina in the 2015 budget for land compensation, and they have paid out about 17 million Kina.
"We are faced with the challenge of trying to pay everybody so what the department is doing is looking at the priority of the government. If the priority of the government is airports, roads, we attend to those ones first and then the other claims like for hospital or schools which are on customary land and attend to those."
Minister Allen was responding to questions by Madang Governor, Jim Kas, who wanted to know what the Government is doing to address compensation demands.
He's appealed to people to stop asking for additional payments on land acquired during the colonial administration.
Parliament rose to October. NBC /ONE PNG