By DayakDaily Team
LUBOK ANTU, July 30: A total of 306 participants of the Sarawak Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Authority (SALCRA) have received land titles covering 417 lots with a combined area of 903 hectares, marking another significant milestone in the legal recognition of Native Customary Rights (NCR) land ownership while contributing to the socioeconomic advancement of rural communities.
According to Sarawak Public Communication Unit (Ukas), the presentation of the land titles took place during the handover ceremony for the SALCRA Sri Aman Regional Development Area, one of the key events held in conjunction with SALCRA’s 50th Golden Jubilee Celebration.
The ceremony was officiated by Deputy Minister for Urban Planning, Land Administration and Environment, Datuk Len Talif Salleh, at the Lubok Antu Palm Oil Mill in Merindun on Wednesday (July 29).
Organised jointly by SALCRA and the Sri Aman Division Land and Survey Department (JTS), the event underscored the government’s continued commitment to safeguarding NCR land rights through a systematic process of land surveying, registration, and title issuance.
Of the total titles presented, 34 lots covering 31 hectares were issued under Section 13 of the Sarawak Land Code to 34 recipients, representing 37 registered landowners from a single longhouse community.
Meanwhile, 383 lots covering 872 hectares were issued under Section 18 of the Sarawak Land Code to 272 recipients, involving 300 registered landowners from 12 longhouse communities.
The issuance of these titles forms part of SALCRA’s broader efforts to ensure that NCR land developed within its designated development areas receives formal legal recognition, thereby providing participants with greater security of tenure and long-term protection of their land rights.
In accordance with the SALCRA Ordinance 1976, land surveying and title issuance are carried out under the provisions of Section 19(1)(b) to support structured, sustainable, and well-planned land development.
To expedite the process, SALCRA’s Surveying Group was granted official recognition by the Sarawak Land and Survey Department in 2020 to undertake cadastral surveying works. This accreditation has significantly accelerated the identification, measurement, and verification of NCR land within SALCRA development areas.
Beyond the land title presentation, the Golden Jubilee celebrations were further enlivened by the SALCRA 50 Years Outreach Programme Exhibition, which brought together government agencies, SALCRA subsidiaries, and private-sector stakeholders to showcase services, products, and development initiatives aimed at benefiting participants and local communities.
Visitors also had access to a wide range of service counters offering information and assistance on participant development programmes, product marketing, capacity-building training, cooperative registration, agricultural fertilisers, oil palm seedlings, and downstream palm oil industry products.
Among those in attendance were Deputy Minister for International Trade and Industry and Batang Ai assemblyman Datuk Dr Malcolm Mussen Lamoh, Lubok Antu MP Roy Angau Gingkoi, Engkilili assemblyman Dr Johnical Rayong Ngipa, Sri Aman Division Land and Survey superintendent Micheakson Nyisin, SALCRA general manager Datu Joseph Blandoi, and Sri Aman Deputy Resident Frank Lani. — DayakDaily
