MVA seeks meeting with BPL
The Marianas Visitors Authority Board must immediately resolve the issue with the Board of Public Lands on which agency must continue taking care of the tourist sites in order to draw the line as to who should be responsible in case of civil damages arising from accidents in the tourist sites.
Currently, MVA no longer has any jurisdiction on any of the tourist sites after the Superior Court has ruled that the jurisdiction of these areas fall on BPL.
While the tourism agency continues to maintain these sites, BPL has now been collecting fees from concessionaires that are formerly under the MVA.
The tourism agency has also temporarily stopped making improvements in these sites until the issue has been resolved. A proposed legislation has been filed in the House of Representatives which would revert the jurisdiction of these sites to MVA.
MVA board members have been seeking a meeting with the BPL board in a move to settle the issue due to the risks involved in case a tourist meets an accident in any of the sites.
The tourist site development committee has carried out a survey of each site to determine which of these should be given priority for improvement due to limited funds.
MVA is seeking an $8 million financing for its Capital Improvement Projects to improve tourist sites on the island municipalities of Saipan, Tinian and Rota . However, due to budgetary constraints, the planned improvements may have to be set aside indefinitely. (LFR)
