By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Nov 16: Native Customary Rights (NCR) land is intended as a long-term asset for families and communities, said Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi, who encouraged recipients to focus on development rather than selling their plots.
According to a TVS news report, Nanta highlighted that landowners could use their holdings to improve livelihoods and community welfare.
“Once you receive legal ownership after the surveying process, use your land wisely for long-term development,” he said while speaking at a ceremony for the presentation of NCR land titles under Section 18 of the Sarawak Land Code on Saturday (Nov 15).
He also noted that landowners could access government programs, including initiatives under the Ministry of Food Industries, Commodities, and Regional Development, to boost productivity and income.
Nanta, who is also Kapit MP, reminded communities that the NCR land program has been in progress for over a decade and urged them to avoid politicised narratives around land issues.
At the ceremony, 245 land titles were handed to 156 recipients from Sungai Ibau, Sungai Belawai, and Sungai Menuan along the Batang Rajang.
“All these processes are free of charge, without premiums or land taxes, and the titles are permanent,” he said, adding that recipients should cooperate in resolving any boundary disputes to ensure the surveying program continues smoothly.
The NCR Land Surveying Program, launched in 2010, involves two phases: perimeter surveys and gazettement under Section 6, followed by individual lot surveys and the issuance of Section 18 titles.
As of Oct 31, the Sarawak Land and Survey Department (JTS) has surveyed more than 1.22 million hectares of NCR land, with 947,000 hectares gazetted. A total of 106,467 individual lots have been measured, and 34,507 Section 18 land titles have been issued. —DayakDaily
