MIRI: The 26 households residing near a dumpsite in Kuala Baram here have been offered Temporary Occupation Land (TOL) scheme to occupy lots at Tudan Desaras Scheme here.
According to Land and Survey Department’s superintendent for Miri, Yunus Tambi, the land the residents are occupying are privately owned by companies or individuals.
“The government understands and is concerned about your welfare as you are living on a land that does not belong to the state government. At any time, the land owners can simply order all of you to evacuate the land – rendering you with nowhere to go,” he told the residents yesterday.
“On this, the government steps in by offering these TOL letters to you. Under the Tudan Desaras Scheme, you are to immediately build houses on the lots allocated to you and demolish the ones in Kuala Baram once you move in (at Desaras).”
It is said most of the squatter families on the Kuala Baram land are from other towns across the state – some from as far as Kanowit. They would go out to scavenge for recyclable and reusable items such as aluminium cans to earn an income. Some of them have even been there for 20 years.
“They have to move out from the place as MCC (Miri City Council) is going to close the dump ground, given that it has already been fully utilised,” said Yunus. The TOL offer letters were presented by Assistant Minister of Communications Datuk Lee Kim Shin, who is also Senadin assemblyman. In his remarks, Lee insisted that the Kuala Baram area was not a suitable and healthy place to live in, especially in bring up children.
“Although it is the place for them to earn their livelihood, they must be aware of the dangers and risks, especially to their health.
“Move out from the place and build houses on lots given to you as soon as possible. Having no land to build houses should not be the reason for you to continue as squatters here, as the government had allocated land for you in Tudan Desaras,” he said. The presentation was witnessed by respective chairmen of SUPP Piasau and Pujut, Datuk Sebastian Ting and Adam Yii.