Land in 100 villages surveyed
SEMPORNA: Some 170 families in six villages in Mukim Sungai Tohok will soon be in possession of their land title through the efforts of the Lands and Surveys Department (LSD) under their programme, Native Land Services (Pantas), which will begin survey of the land next week.
Assistant Finance Minister Datuk Ramlee Marhaban said during the launch of the second phase of the programme yesterday, that this continuing effort is aimed at resolving land issues in Mukim Sungai Tohok.
Ramlee said the villagers here have been dogged with the land issue problems since the 1960s and this matter needed to be resolved so that it would not be dragged on to the next generation.
“The land issue needed to be resolved as we do not want it to cause bickerings, especially among the family. This is why the government is committed in resolving this land issue.
“Following the success of the Pantas programme in Sungai Lihak Lihak, I have asked for the second phase to be carried out here in Mukim Sungai Tohok. This programme may also be applied to some other areas in Semporna,” he said.
According to Ramlee, who is also the Bugaya assemblyman, the ruling government has the obligation to always help people in such matters.
He hoped the people will continue to support the government so that whatever problems they encounter may be resolved as quickly as possible to ensure the welfare of the people is taken care of.
Meanwhile, Lands and Surveys director Datuk Safar bin Untong said the second phase of the Pantas programme at Mukim Sungai Tohok will include the survey of 850 acres of land.
According to Safar, the survey process is expected to begin next week and to be completed in six months time following which the first grant (land title) will be issued nine months later.
Meanwhile, Safar disclosed that since 2013 until September this year, the Pantas programme had managed to survey 13,850 lots covering 18,790.60 hectares of land in 100 villages throughout Sabah.
He sai, the programme had benefited the people, including villagers in Lihak Lihak zone, where 190 lots have been surveyed while the remaining 30 lots will be surveyed and expected to be completed on November 15.
Safar added that through this programme, the department believed that they will be able to resolve the land issues here in Mukim Sungai Tohok that has prevailed since 1962.