Mohammad Zunica (standing front row, sixth right) in a photo call with community leaders from Sebauh district after the dialogue session.
BINTULU: The Land and Survey Department has introduced its Native Customary Rights (NCR) Kit in efforts to empower the application process for the surveying of individual lots under the second stage of the new NCR initiative.
Its Bintulu Division superintendent Mohammad Zunica Mohamad Sapi’ee said the NCR Kit contained an application form, minutes of meeting for the formation of the Land Bureau Committee, lot distribution plan, brochure and a CD on the application process.
“It is hoped that these documents will assist local community leaders to become intermediaries of the department to disseminate information and knowledge, and to guide their people to form the Land Bureau Committee,” he told The Borneo Post yesterday.
He said a series of dialogue sessions were conducted especially for community leaders, village chiefs and longhouse headmen in 34 areas involving 70,000 hectares of land that have been surveyed and gazetted under Section 6 of the Land Code in Bintulu, Sebauh and Tatau recently.
“The dialogue sessions were held to inform those involved in the perimeter survey over the improvement made to speed up the process for individual lots surveying.
“The department hopes that from this initiative, there would be more effective NCR land perimeter survey applications which would indirectly assist in accelerating the process of land surveying,” he added.
Over 200 people including Murum assemblyman Kennedy Chukpai Ugon, Kakus assemblyman Datuk John Sikie, Hulu Rajang MP Datuk Wilson Ugak, as well as representatives of Jepak assemblyman Datuk Talip Zulpilip and Bintulu MP Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing, and officials from the three districts, attended the dialogue sessions.
Mohammad Zunica said the main objective was to speed up the formation of the Land Bureau Committee in the respective areas in providing documentation for the surveying of individual lots.
“If most areas are ready and can submit the documentation for individual lot surveying, this can increase the issuance of land titles under Section 18 of the Land Code and guarantee their ownership over the land,” he said.
He pointed out that the issuance of land titles is important to reduce the problem of overlapping claims, either individually or with other parties.