No compensation for factory owner as land belonged to state

KUCHING: There will be no compensation for the owner of a furniture factory, which was dismantled for the construction of the Sarawak Pan- Borneo Highway project.

The Land and Survey Department’s public relations unit said in a statement yesterday that Richard Umin Umpang did not own the land on which the factory was built at Lot 105 Blok 25 Pasai Siong LD, along Mile 27 Sibu- Bintulu road.

“Our investigation revealed that the factory was built on registered state land and partially on the government’s land reserve for the old road,” said the statement.

“We had informed the owner by a letter dated Sept 8, 2016.”

On Friday, The Borneo Post had highlighted the factory owner’s dissatisfaction with the dismantling of his factory.

The department revealed that the owner had actually been asked to vacate the premises via a notice dated Jan 31, 2017.

“The owner had agreed and signed the ‘ Undertaking Letter’ to dismantle the factory before or on March 8, 2017,” said the statement.

According to the statement, the department sent enforcement personnel to carry out dismantling work on Tuesday as the owner failed to carry out what he had agreed to do.

It added that the dismantling work was in accordance and in compliance with the law, as the owner had been given ample time to do so.

“Any form of statement to dispute our action in trespassing the property was much regretted,” added the statement.