Revised Compensation Agreement Signed

Ramu NiCo community affairs General Manager Martin Paining said the original agreement signed in 2000 was signed between landowners and the original developer Hlighlands Pacific Limited to rush the project through before MCC took over from HPL as the developer.

Mr. Paining said it took more time and effort to revisit the agreement and make changes according to landowners’ views, until the final revised agreement was put together.

Kurumbukari landowners’ association chairman Tobby Bare thanked MCC for finally making available the revised agreement.

“We landowners are now happy that the compensation agreement is now revised and signed.” He said.

Ramu NiCo Vice President Wang Baowen congratulated the four landowner association chairmen and their executives for successfully negotiating a good compensation package for their people.

Wang said the compensation agreement was a huge improvement from the previous rates. “The company used to spend K600,000 annually in annual compensation payment in the old agreement,” he said.

“However, in this revised agreement, the annual land-use compensation payment will be more than K1.3 million.”

VP Wang said the agreement included consumer price index (CPI) adjustments and the latest Valuer General rates.

“This is very good for the project landowners,” he said.

VP Wang said that the agreement demonstrated that MCC and Ramu NiCo was genuine in ensuring landowners benefited properly from the project operation.

He signed the agreement on behalf of the company, the four LOA chairmen who signed the agreement were Basamuk Landowners’ Association Chairman Sama Mellombo, Inland Pipeline Landowners’ Association Chairman Peter Tai, Coastal Pipeline Landowners’ Chairman Jeffery Gamrai and Kurumbukari Landowners’ Chairman Tobby Bare.