Over 2,000 families will soon benefit from the State Government’s Native Customary Rights Fast Unit (or Unit Pantas NCR) programme, thanks to the survey works for communal land titles in nine villages here.

Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili in disclosing this, said a total of 2,299 lots were established on a 6,000-hectare land, where each family will be allocated a maximum of 15 acres land.

The programme, with an allocation of about RM20 million annually for Sabah is an initiative by the Federal Government, under the Sabah and Sarawak Bumiputera Technical Committee, which is jointly chaired by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Joseph Entulu and Ongkili, through the Native Customary Rights (NCR) Land Survey Programme Coordination Committee.

“The programme was launched to assist the State Government on matters related to surveying native customary rights lands in Sabah and Sarawak, which otherwise will take the State Government years to survey due to insufficient budget for the purpose,” he said.

Speaking after chairing a meeting with Kota Marudu District Officer Arnold Joibi and village heads from the affected areas here yesterday, Maximus stressed that the Federal Government, through the Sabah and Sarawak Bumiputera Technical Committee, will continue to support and coordinate the implementation of land survey for issuance of communal grants in East Malaysia.

He said issuance of communal grants is one of the approaches taken in Sabah to resolve the issue of NCR land claims.

“The first rollout project will be launched in Kota Marudu under the Mukim Marak-Parak next month. The survey team is expected to take the whole year to complete the RM1.5 million project.

“It is my hope that village heads would give their cooperation to the survey team, especially in solving issues related to overlapping land applications, and on the exclusion of water catchment areas and riparian reserves,” said the Kota Marudu member of parliament.

Maximus said this is a major exercise to benefit, particularly rural folks and only the ruling coalition is committed to meeting the people’s needs.

“This shows that Barisan Nasional is sensitive to the rakyat’s welfare and needs, especially in securing land ownership,” he said.

Source:
courtesy of THE BORNEO POST

by BORNEO POST

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