The Federal Gvernment has approved an allocation of more than RM20 million for continuation of the program to survey Native Customary Rights (NCR) lands in Sabah this year.

State Land and Surveys Department director Datuk Safar Untung said out of the total, RM10 million had been received by the department on February 19 this year.

“The allocation coordinated by the Implementation Coordination Unit (ICU) in the Prime Minister’s Department had channeled the funds to the State Government through the Land and Survey Department,” he said during his briefing on survey of customary lands in Kampung Sinulihan and Mokotog held at Kampung Sinulihan Sook near here on Saturday.

The briefing was also attended by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Tan Sri Joseph Kurup, ICU director-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Zaki Ansore Mohd Yusof, and officers and staff of the Land and Surveys Department.

Safar said that from 2012 to 2016, the State Government through the Land and Surveys Department was allocated RM77,593,600 to perform surveys under the native customary rights (NCR) land survey program and up until now almost all the allocation had been spent in the implementation of the project and procurement related directly to the production of native customary land ownership in Sabah.

He said from 2009 until now, 70 communal titles have been issued with a total area of 116,620.85 acres involving 10,260 people from 212 villages in 12 districts, namely  Nabawan, Keningau, Sipitang, Kota Marudu, Papar, Ranau, Beluran, Tongod, Kinabatangan , Pitas, Tenom and Semporna.

“Another five areas involving Tongod, Beluran and Kota Belud with a total area of 3,696 acres involving 412 beneficiaries have received approval from the State Government and is in the process of preparing a land title by the Land and Surveys Department,” he said.

Meanwhile, he said 14 areas with a total area of 27,784.39 acres involving 3,079 beneficiaries, wwere in the process of approval by the State Government.

In terms of survey of communal titles, he said 60 communal titles have completed survey with a total area of 26,100.60 hectares involving 9,734 beneficiaries while for survey of individual occupation lots, 12,332 lots have been measured involving a total area of 19,844.59 hectares.

“The surveying of lots of land application for conditional Native Title (NT) of 2,366 lots with a total of 4,958.89 hectares has been completed,” he disclosed.

To ensure residents get the property immediately, he said the State Government has set up a special State Native Land Unit or better known as fast office mobile unit, operated by 104 personnel in a bus and three vans.

Besides, he said they have procured 18 stations and seven GPS and UAV systems for mapping of the NCR lands, and a digital aerial camera, along with 80 vehicles for field use by the survey teams and land office in the investigation of NCR lands.

“Database of native lands has also been established from the data of 220,464 land applications and 23 Geo-Infra counters have been prepared in 23 land offices throughout the state,” he said.

Meanwhile, in his speech at the briefing, Kurup said the government is obliged to look into issues of distribution of NCR lands in the state, as these are the problems faced by the people of the interior, especially in rural areas.

The government is duty bound to improve their lives by providing facilities and infrastructure such as roads, water supply, school halls, electricity and so on, including surveying of NCR lands,” he said.

He thanked the ICU of the Prime Minister’s Department for the RM20 million allocation to conduct surveys of NCR lands in Keningau district, especially Kampung Sinulihan and Mokotog in Sook area.

Source:
courtesy of THE BORNEO POST

by BORNEO POST

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