By Christine T
KUCHING, Oct 14: A total of 1,706 Native Customary Rights (NCR) land titles has been issued and handed to landowners in Bukit Semuja as of Sept 30, 2026, including 312 titles involving land documented by the Dayak Bidayuh National Association (DBNA).
Minister of Natural Resources and Urban Development Datuk Len Talif Salleh said 1,255 titles covering 741 hectares (1,831 acres) were issued under the second phase of the New Initiative NCR Land Measurement Programme, while another 451 titles covering 21 hectares (52 acres) were issued under the Traditional Village Measurement Programme.
Of the 1,255 titles issued under the New Initiative programme, 312 involved two areas documented by DBNA, covering 528 hectares (1,305 acres).
Responding to Bukit Semuja assemblyman John Ilus during the Sarawak Legislative Assembly sitting today, Len highlighted DBNA’s efforts in documenting NCR land to expedite measurements under Sections 6 and 18 of the Sarawak Land Code.
However, he said the documentation must be verified and validated by the Sarawak Land and Survey Department before gazettement and land title issuance could be confirmed.
As of Sept 30, a total of 9,653 hectares (23,852 acres) of NCR land in Bukit Semuja had undergone perimeter measurement under the New Initiative programme, while 2,282 hectares (5,639 acres) had completed individual lot measurements, involving 3,069 lots.
Addressing concerns over land boundary disputes during NCR land surveys, he said the Sarawak land and survey department would hold dialogue sessions with land claimants to clarify established guidelines and their responsibilities before, during and after the measurement process.
He stressed that resolving boundary disputes depended on cooperation and mutual understanding among land claimants.
Len also assured that NCR land awaiting individual lot measurements and land title issuance under Section 18 of the Sarawak Land Code remained protected under communal ownership, provided the areas were still gazetted as Bumiputera Communal Reserve (Agriculture) under Section 6 of the Sarawak Land Code.
He said the gazetted land remained the property of the communities concerned and could be developed through joint ventures under development models provided by the Sarawak Ministry of Food Industry, Commodity and Regional Development.
On the use of technology to accelerate land surveys, Len said the State government had adopted the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) for suitable open areas without tree canopy, enabling measurements to be carried out more efficiently compared with conventional surveying methods. —DayakDaily
