BY GEORGINA KEKEA
INCREASING settlements and development of land along the Tenaru strip of area has raised concern among Guadalcanal people alike.
For quite some time, there has been discussions in social media on this particular stretch of land and whether the people settling and building houses there have acquired these lands through proper processes and channels.
Through these discussions in social media it was made known that the Guadalcanal Provincial Government (GPG) has had a number of discussions with Levers Solomons and from the discussions it was agreed that land beyond Alligator is to be given and prioritized for Guadalcanal people only.
However this is not the case. Development and felling of cocoa trees on Lever’s land along the Tenaru stretch of road is progressing at a very fast rate.
Now most of the cocoa trees along the stretch of road to the Tenaru Bridge have been felled with buildings being built instead.
The settlers developing these lands are unknown and how they acquire the lands are not known either.
GP has denied selling these blocks of land to the settlers as they say, ‘only Levers Solomons have the right to sell these lands’.
“The cocoa plantation there was where we used to earn an income ever since it was left idle by Levers,” a woman from North Guadalcanal said.
The recent protest on the new development of these lands was a stop notice erected to ward people of these lands.
A notice deemed ineffective as almost 80 percent of the cocoa plantation had been removed and development now taking shape.
Island Sun understands that most developments happening in the said areas are not approved by the Guadalcanal Provincial Town Country Planning Board.
It is also understood that Guadalcanal province lacks the enforcement mechanism.
