Simione Tuvuki 
The Coalition Government has pledged to resolve the discontentment among landowners over Namosi Joint Venture’s project.
This is after the landowners objected to NJV’s special prospecting license renewal as they were concerned about the effects of their operation on the environment.
Minister for Mineral Resources, Filimoni Vosarogo says the matter sprung up as the previous administration pushed past the concerns of landowners.
Vosarogo says they will ensure transparency in NJV’s operation.
“Going in there and making sure that we start off with the landowners on the right note. I do not think that there has been a good start-off point when Namosi Joint Venture started … there has always been an element of distrust or mistrust, but there has been an element of unhappiness.”
Vosarogo says the Ministry has liaised with other stakeholders to acquire relevant information before they meet with the landowners.
The Ministry is expected to visit the landowners by the end of this month.
Namosi Joint Venture, led by Australian-based Newcrest Mining Limited was first granted a Special Prospecting License (SPL) in 2001 to explore minerals, and the license has been renewed several times to ensure that the company carries out a thorough exploration with extensive research of the mineral prospects.
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