SERIAN: As of July 31, 2022, the state Land and Survey Department has conducted survey to 1,040,212 hectares or 2.57 million acres of Native Customary Rights (NCR) lands all over Sarawak.
Deputy Premier, Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan said from the total, 800,176 hectares or 1.97 million acres have been gazetted.
“The survey programme was not something new as we have started since 1960’s and up until 2010 (50 years), we only surveyed about 260,000 hectares.
“With that, to speed up the surveyed works, the state government used new method since 2010, through two stages; the first is perimeter survey and gazettement under Section 6 of Sarawak Land Code as Bumiputera Communal Reserve (Agriculture).
“While, the second stage involved measurements of individual lots and the issuance of land ownership under Section 18 of the same Code,” he said.
This was said in his speech during the handover of the documents on Bumiputera Communal Reserve Gazette under Section 6 of Sarawak Land Code and land ownership under Section 18 of the same Code and Temporary Occupation Licence (TOL) for Serian Division at Dewan Tayung Langui, Kampung Pichin here today.
At the ceremony, a total of 98 recipients who were present received their land ownership titles under Section 18 of Sarawak Land Code. These involved recipients from Kampung Pichin, Serian, Kampung Engkeroh, Serian, Kampung Petag, Padawan and Kampung Baradau, Siburan and 55 recipients from Kampung Simpok, Kampung Mundai, Kampung Sarig, Kampung Pesa in Padawan as well as Kampung Bintawa Sungai Bari and Kampung Bintawa Sungai Lama, Serian.
Awang Tengah also said that the government is always committed to recognise the land in the state as long as the owner has the valid proof based on legislation.
“At the beginning of the survey work there were some parties who said that this programme was a trick for the government to take over the native land and also the government bought the land and this NCR land will not have land titles.
“But, we do have the condition which is valid proof by the owner and we carry out this programme with the full cooperation by the NCR land claimants with their readiness and cooperation of all NCR land claimants and has been gazetted under Section 6 of the State Land Code, land owners identify land boundaries by making clear stakes, the claimed land is free from any boundary disputes and claims as well as landowners who share the boundary are present during the survey work,” he told.
He said this land measurement programme is implemented as proof to the owners so that they have documents, land titles thus guaranteeing their rights to their respective land.
Awang Tengah also expressed his appreciation for the cooperation given by the Bidayuh community in conducting the survey.
“The Bidayuh community not only in Serian, but also in Bau and Lundu cooperated with the Sarawak government through the Dayak Bidayuh National Association (DBNA).
“Due to that the measurement programme is running smoothly even in Serian alone more than 80,000 hectares or more than 200,000 acres of area have been measured based on community requests,” he said.
