KOTA KINABALU: The Native Customary Rights (NCR) Land Survey Programme Coordination Committee for Sabah has been set up to speed up efforts to resolve native land claims in the state.
Its first meeting was chaired by Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili here yesterday, in line with the decision made by the Sabah and Sarawak Bumiputera Technical Committee Meeting in June for the committee to be set up in Sabah and Sarawak respectively.
The Sabah and Sarawak Bumiputera Technical Committee, jointly chaired by Ongkili and Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, reports to the Cabinet Committee on Bumiputera minorities of Sabah and Sarawak that is chaired by the Prime Minister.
”The Sabah NCR Land Survey Programme Coordination Committee is specially set up to coordinate the implementation of land survey for issuance of communal grants as well as to look into funds needed for this purpose.
“Communal grants is one of the approaches taken in Sabah to resolve the issue of NCR land claims,” said Ongkili in a statement here yesterday.
The Federal government has approved RM25,702,600 to assist the state government to resolve NCR land claims and for survey work to be done for issuance of communal grants.
The amount will also be used for the setting up of a Native Land Unit and Native Land Ownership Database .
Ongkili added that as of Aug 31, a total of RM19.72 million had been channelled by the Federal government through the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry.
He said the state government through the Land and Survey Department had prepared 62 communal grants involving 33,812 hectares of land.
“The number of beneficiaries is 8,115 people from 155 villages. I was also informed that surveying work has been completed for 36 communal grants while 20 more are in process,” he said, adding that among the districts that have benefited from the programme were Pensiangan, Nabawan, Kota Marudu and Tongod.
The meeting also raised the need for an allocation of RM38.4 million for Sabah for next year and the request will be raised at the federal-level Sabah and Sarawak Bumiputera Technical Committee Meeting. — Bernama