SIBU: A total of 574 recipients were awarded land ownership titles under Section 18 of the Sarawak Land Code in a ceremony held at the Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud Chancellor’s Hall, University of Technology Sarawak (UTS), on Monday (Sept 30).
Additionally, 20 longhouse chiefs from Sibu Division and six from Mukah Division received documents on Bumiputera Communal Reserve Gazette under Section 6 of the Sarawak Land Code.
The handover ceremony was officiated by Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, who is also the Second Minister for Natural Resources and Urban Development.
In his speech, Awang Tengah reaffirmed Sarawak’s commitment to continuing the New Initiative NCR Land Measurement Programme, which aims to safeguard the rights of landowners to Native Customary Rights (NCR) land.
“As long as claimants can legally prove the validity of their NCR land, the government will conduct surveys free of charge,” he said, npying that the land titles issued under Section 18 come with permanent tenure and are exempt from land taxes and premiums.
“This is the government’s promise, benefiting the people,” he added.
Since the programme’s launch in 2010, Awang Tengah noted that the measurement of NCR land has accelerated, allowing landowners to secure official documentation, clear boundaries, and protection against encroachment.
From 2010 to Aug 31, 2024, the Sarawak Land and Survey Department successfully conducted perimeter surveys covering approximately 1,155,022 hectares statewide, of which 910,183 hectares have been gazetted.
Awang Tengah also reminded officials from the Land and Survey Department (JTS) to avoid conducting surveys in areas under court dispute, advising that only after the resolution of such disputes will the government proceed with land measurements.
Also present at the event was Tamin assemblyman Christopher Gira Sambang.
