CLANS and beneficiary groups in Madang’s Ramu NiCo project in Papua New Guinea have started receiving their second land use compensation payments totalling K477,978.48 last Friday.
Ramu NiCo (MCC) community affairs department’s land and compensation officer Sakias Abaro explained that the payments were the second for 2020.
“The compensation is paid out under the revise land and environment compensation agreement of 2019,” he said.
“The payments were made for the clearing of trees and other properties along the area where the pipeline of the Ramu NiCo project runs to reach the Basamuk refinery in Rai Coast.”
Abaro said from the total payments, K138,681.79 was for the future generation trust fund.
The remaining K321,334.31 was the payable amount to the total of 209 in the project impacted areas.
A total of 40 beneficiaries received their payments through their bank account, while 169 clans and beneficiaries received their payments in cash.
According to Ramu NiCo, the revised land and compensation agreement of 2019 sees vast improvement in many areas to cater for landowners that included adjustments and the latest valuer general rates.
The four impact areas landowners’ chairmen had unanimously agreed and thanked Ramu NiCo management for the huge improvement in the compensation rates contained in the revised environment and compensation agreement.
The remarkable increase was the annual compensation payment which saw 100 per cent increase from K600,000 annually since 2000 in the old agreement to K1.3 million.
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