FAMILIES’ PATIENCE PAYS OFF
Ayer Hangat villagers granted Temporary Occupation Licence after 2 decades
SIXTY families in Kampung Huma, Ayer Hangat, here heaved a sigh of relief when they were granted a Temporary Occupation Licence (TOL) for their homes after a two-decade long wait.
The TOL was presented by Langkawi member of parliament Datuk Nawawi Ahmad at a ceremony here yesterday.
Present were state Religious, Tourism, Heritage and Works Committee chairman Datuk Mohd Rawi Abdul Hamid, who is also Ayer Hangat assemblyman, and Langkawi district officer Isahak Murat.
Villager Khatijah Ibrahim, 70, said she was grateful for the TOL.
“My late husband, Ishak Hanafi, and I had applied for the TOL in 1997. Although he is no longer around to receive it, it is still a blessing for my family.”
Ishak succumbed to colon cancer eight years ago.
Daharah Arop, 66, and her husband, Abd Bakar Mahmud, 67, thanked the state government for approving the TOL after 20 years.
“We have been toiling on the land since 1997 and we are very happy that our wait is over.”
In his speech, Nawawi said the government appreciated the villagers’ patience.
“It shows the government is serious in resolving land-related issues concerning the people,” he said, adding that in the past three years, the authorities had awarded TOL titles to 269 families from Pulau Tuba, Kuah and Ayer Hangat areas.