Secretary of Lands, Benjamin Samson, announces an extensive debt recovery campaign to address the significant issue of land rent arrears. The Department’s land management software, eLands, has identified a sum of over K365,000,000 in overdue payments, signalling a crucial need for immediate action.
The Department of Lands and Physical Planning has launched an intensive debt recovery initiative focused on settling the outstanding land rent payments and securing future compliance. Secretary Samson stated, “This debt recovery initiative represents our determined approach to address pending financial obligations. We are committed to identifying and addressing these obligations efficiently.”
An important measure in this initiative is the engagement of major banks. The Department is request data from these institutions to validate mortgage information and assist in facilitating overdue land rent payments on behalf of their mortgagees. “This engagement with the banking sector is crucial to our efforts” Secretary Samson clarified, “especially given that non-compliant lessees risk having their leases forfeited, an outcome that would be in no one’s best interest.”
The Department has published in the national gazette as is required under section 83 of the Land Act 1996, a notice that a list of lessees from whom rent is due has been prepared and may be inspected on our official website at https://dlpp.gov.pg/elands.
Meanwhile, the Department will also be working on cleansing and refining our departmental data. Accurate and consistent data allows us to work more effectively, which is essential in ensuring a high level of compliance.
Secretary Samson further added, “Data cleansing is an important element of our comprehensive debt recovery strategy. The aim is to serve the public more effectively, ensure future compliance, and maintain sustainable management of our land resources.”
This initiative marks a significant step towards resolving the urgent issue of overdue land rent payments. We urge all lessees with outstanding payments to address their financial obligations promptly.
For any questions or concerns regarding land rent payments or this debt recovery initiative, please contact the Department of Lands and Physical Planning at https://dlpp.gov.pg/support-centre
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Benjamin Samson
Secretary
Department of Lands and Physical Planning