25,796 NCR titles issued from new perimeter survey

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Awang Tengah (front row, centre), flanked by Len Talif (left) and Mawan, joins the NCR land title recipients in a group photo.

PAKAN: A total of 25,796 Native Customary Rights (NCR) land titles have been issued to the rightful owners – thanks to the new perimeter survey initiative.

This figure, recorded as in February this year, involved a total of 32,017 hectares (79,116 acres) of NCR land surveyed and gazetted as communal reserves under Section 6 of the Land Code, followed by survey works on individual lots under Section 18 of the same Code, prior to the issuance of titles.

This was disclosed by Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan prior to presenting the titles to 451 NCR land-owners at a ceremony in Rumah Sedau here yesterday.

It is learnt that the recipients own the land along Jalan Pakan-Sesco and Jalan Pakan Entabai here.

Assistant Minister of Urban Planning, Land Administration and Environment Datu Len Talif Salleh, Pakan assemblyman Tan Sri William Mawan Ikom, Sarikei Resident Felicia Tan and Sarikei Division Land and Survey Department superintendent Ngu Tai Kong were among those witnessing the presentation.

Adding on, Awang Tengah said since the implementation of the NCR land perimeter survey initiative in 2010, a total of 879,913 hectares (2.17 million acres) of NCR land had been surveyed and gazetted as communal reserves under Section 6 of the Land Code.

“Compared with just about 260,000 hectares (642,460 acres) surveyed by the department from 1960 to 2010 (50 years), the areas covered by (the new) NCR land perimeter survey programme are four times more (than previously). That reflects the effectiveness of this initiative,” he stressed.

Awang Tengah also said between 2010 and last year, the Sarawak government had spent a total of RM161 million for the implementation of NCR perimeter survey and in this regard, he assured all that more would be allocated to continue this initiative.

Moreover, he said for this year, the focus would be on surveying individual lots up for issuance of titles.

According to him, 718,522 hectares (1.776 million acres) of NCR land throughout Sarawak that had been gazetted as communal reserves under Section 6 of Land Code, would be divided into individual lots and be issued titles this year.