By Amanda L & Shikin Louis
KUCHING, June 22: A total of 2,109 Native Customary Rights (NCR) land titles under Section 18 of the State Land Code were handed over in Bau today, marking the largest single distribution of NCR land titles in the area to date.
Tasik Biru assemblyman Datuk Henry Harry Jinep said the handover, held at the newly completed Bidayuh Cultural Centre (BCC) Bau was the ninth NCR land title presentation ceremony organised in the constituency.
“With today’s handover, the total number of land titles issued in Tasik Biru since 2018 has reached 6,168 lots,” he said.
Of the 2,109 titles presented, 1,316 individual agricultural and residential lots were issued to 1,142 recipients. The distribution involved 302 titles in Kampung Apar, 51 in Kampung Tabong, 199 in Kampung Segong, 101 in Kampung Tanjong Poting, 276 in Kampung Grogo, 309 in Kampung Sibuluh, and 78 in Kawasan Banan.
Another 793 individual lots were issued under the Sarawak Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (SALCRA) scheme covering the OPE Bratak and OPE Jagoi areas.
At the same event, the Sarawak government also handed over Section 6 Native Communal Reserve gazette notifications for two areas covering a total of 130.7 hectares.
The areas comprise Banan, spanning 121 hectares and covering Kampung Grogo and Kampung Sibuluh, as well as Senggi Poak, which covers 9.7 hectares along Jalan Batu Kawa in Tondong and includes Kampung Atas.
Henry, who is also Deputy Minister of Transport (Riverine and Marine), said the progress in documenting NCR land in the area stemmed from ground surveys initiated by the Dayak Bidayuh National Association (DBNA) in 2007 in collaboration with the Sarawak Land and Survey Department.
“The success of this effort did not happen overnight. It was made possible through continuous ground surveys and close cooperation between DBNA and the Land and Survey Department since 2007,” he said.
He added that land ownership remains an important aspect of the Bidayuh community’s heritage and future, as land titles provide legal certainty and long-term security for landowners.
Henry further said the continued issuance of NCR land titles reflects the Sarawak government’s commitment under the Post Covid Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030 to resolving long standing NCR land issues and strengthening land ownership rights throughout the State. — DayakDaily
