Awang Tengah(fourth left) presents the government gazette for perimeter surveyed NCR land to Penghulu Kasa while (from left) Dahim, Len, Ibrahim and Ngu look on.
SARIKEI: The government is committed to surveying all native customary rights (NCR) land so that the landowners can be issued land titles.
Second Minister of Resource Planning and Environment Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Awang Ali Hassan denied allegations made by certain quarters that the ongoing perimeter survey of NCR land was carried out with an ulterior motive.
“Our objective is to give the land owners full rights over their land so that they can develop it for agricultural purpose without fear of being encroached into or claimed by other people.
“Once their NCR land is surveyed, the owners can proceed with its development plan either on their own or on joint-venture with big companies,” he said.
He added the BN government had no intention to rob the people of their NCR land but rather to help the landowners to raise their income through commercial farming. The government did not impose any charge on the landowners for the survey of their NCR land.
“The government has so far spent about RM81 million to carry out the (perimeter survey) exercise and will need more as more areas will be surveyed,” he said after presenting documents for four areas of surveyed NCR land in Sarikei and Pakan districts which had been gazetted under Section 6 of the State Land Code.
The presentation ceremony was held in conjunction with the divisional-level Ramah Tamah Aidilfitri gathering at the civic centre here yesterday.
According to Awang Tengah, 686 areas involving 1,122,093 hectares of NCR land throughout the state had been approved for survey and so far 428 areas involving 632,612ha had been surveyed.
He also disclosed that so far, 11 surveyed NCR areas comprising 38,378.91ha in Sarikei had been handed over to the community.
Assistant Minister of Environment Datuk Len Talif Salleh, Dato Dayang Morliah Datuk Awang Daud, Sarikei Resident Dahim Nadot, deputy director of Land and Survey Ibrahim Lumpu, a political secretary to the chief minister Dayang Raoyah Abang Adeng and divisional superintendent of Land and Survey Ngu Tai Kong were among those present at the event.