KUCHING, March 7: Deputy Premier of Sarawak Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan revealed that approximately 2.66 million acres (1,076,464 hectares) of native customary rights (NCR) land in Sarawak have been surveyed under the new NCR Initiative Measurement Programme as of Jan 31, 2023.
According to a news report by Sarawak Public Communications Unit (Ukas), Awang Tengah highlighted that 2.01 million acres (813,418 hectares) of the total NCR land surveyed as of Jan 31 this year have been gazetted.
He explained the programme, which has been established since 2010, was designed to expedite the NCR land surveying process so that owners have documents indicating the clear demarcation of their land, as well as to ensure that their respective land is not encroached upon.
“Imagine the size of the area we are measuring with this new initiative, which is implemented in two phases.
“The first stage will involve perimeter measurement and gazettement as a Bumiputera Communal Reserve under Section 6 of the Sarawak Land Code (KTN).
“The second stage will involve the measurement of individual lots and the issuance of land title deeds in accordance with Section 18 of KTN,” he said at the handover ceremony for gazettement documents under Sections 6 and 7 and land titles under Sections 13 and 18 of KTN, at Wisma Bintulu in Bintulu on Monday (March 6).
Awang Tengah, who is also the Second Minister for Natural Resources and Urban Development, said the measurement of individual lots and issuance of land titles under Section 18 of the KTN are also being actively carried out in order to include all Bumiputera who have rights over NCR land.
“As of Jan 31, 2023, a total of 66,454 individual lots have been successfully measured involving an area of 201,235 acres (81,437 hectares).
“A total of 26,113 lots have been issued land title deeds under Section 18 of KTN with a total area of 111,024 acres (44,930 hectares),” he added.
Furthermore, he mentioned that a programme to survey traditional village land was also carried out as part of an ongoing effort to ensure the guarantee of land ownership for villages that have existed for a long time, whether gazetted or not as Bumiputera Communal Reserves Section 6 KTN.
Awang Tengah continued stating that once the measurement is complete, the land title deed will be issued under Section 18 of KTN.
“So far, a total of 57,703 residential lots from 386 villages throughout Sarawak have been measured, and 53,824 of those lots have been issued title deeds,” he noted.
He also emphasised the importance of full cooperation between local community leaders and NCR land owners in expediting the perimeter survey and issuance of land titles.
Among others present were Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Port Development Dato Majang Renggi, Jepak assemblyman Datuk Talib Zulpilip, Bintulu Resident Nyurak Keti, and Land and Survey Department deputy director (Management) Awang Zamhari Awang Mahmood. — DayakDaily
