State gazettes 619,716 hectares of NCR land
LAWAS: The state government has gazetted 619,716ha of native customary rights ( NCR) land out of the 770,000ha surveyed under the NCR new initiative perimeter survey as of March this year.
Second Minister of Resource Planning and Environment Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan said this involved 402 out of the 440 areas surveyed by the Land and Survey Department statewide.
He said the state government is committed to surveying NCR land and issuing individual titles after the completion of the perimeter survey under Phase I, but advised landowners to cooperate.
“There must be a give and take approach of landowners, who would not squabble over an inch or two more of land,” he said when presenting RM2.2 million in compensation to landowners, individual native land titles and communal reserve gazettes here recently.
There must be a give and take approach of landowners, who would not squabble over an inch or two more of land.
The Bukit Sari assemblyman said the Land and Survey Department has encountered conflicts and overlapping claims involving villagers or longhouses statewide.
“The instruction has been given to the department to move to the next location if there are conflicts or court litigation pending ruling in claims,” he said.
Awang Tengah urged village chiefs and community leaders to assist the department by providing the necessary information on villages in need of perimeter surveys in their area.
He said the state government’s unprecedented initiative to survey and issue land titles despite
Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, Second Minister of Resource Planning and Environment
the high costs underscored its commitment to recognise NCR land.
Meanwhile, the compensation was for land acquired for 10 infrastructure projects including the Sabah- Sarawak Gas Pipeline buffer zone and village access roads.
Addressing grouses by landowners on the differing quantum of compensation for public infrastructure projects, Awang Tengah explained, “Some people demanded to know why they were paid less than their other fellow landowners for the same location and same project, and the answer is it depends on the actual size of land acquired.”
He added, “We want these survey works to move forward with cooperation of landowners but claims must be reasonable and backed by evidence.”
The land titles issued under Section 6 of the Land Code were for Batu 2 and Batu 3 of the Betong-Sebanun areas in Trusan, while the individual perpetuity land titles were issued under Section 18 to landowners in Kampung Bukit Nanang in Merapok.
As of April 27, the Land and Survey Department has surveyed 358 villages for traditional village extension involving 52,863 lots, including 32 villages involving 726 lots in Limbang Division.