Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah presented grants to 460 recipients, also seen was the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Urban Development, Datuk Abdullah Julaihi (second from right) at the Handover Ceremony for Land Title Deeds Section 13 and 18 of the State Land Code and Compensation Cheques for Projects in the Samarahan Division at INTAN Kota Samarahan today. Photo: Ghazali Bujang

KOTA SAMARAHAN: As of Nov 30, a total of 97,903 individual lots spanning 114,169 hectares (282,117.743 acres) have been successfully surveyed under the Native Customary Rights (NCR) land survey initiative.

Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan said that out of these, 32,061 lots, covering 46,601 hectares (115,153.58 acres), have been issued land titles under Section 18 of the State Land Code.

Today, we will hand over 218 land titles under Section 18 to 173 recipients, including 74 recipients from Kampung Entingan receiving 93 titles, 60 recipients from Kampung Nangka receiving 85 titles, and 39 recipients from Kampung Sri Tajo receiving 40 titles.

“Land titles issued under Section 18 are exempt from land tax and premium charges, and they come with a perpetual tenure. This reflects the Government’s unwavering commitment to upholding the people’s rights to their land,” Awang Tengah said.

He said this in a speech read by Minister for Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development, Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah during the presentation of land titles and compensation cheques for projects in Samarahan Division at Dewan Seminar, INTAN Kota Samarahan here, today (Dec 13).

He assured attendees that the initiative would continue as long as needed.

The land survey is provided free of charge to ensure the protection of NCR lands, provided claimants can prove their validity under the law,・ he said.
In addition, Awang Tengah announced the handover of 156 land titles under Section 13 of the Sarawak Land Code to 123 individuals in Kampung Mang, Samarahan.

“The land provided by the government is for a tenure of 60 years. These ownership rights are issued under Section 13 of the State Land Code for agricultural use.

“No land tax will be imposed on you as this was a contribution from the late Pehin Sri Adenan Satem who abolished land tax for small-scale agricultural land under 100 acres and residential land.

“The government has set a premium of only RM200 for recipients of land titles under Section 13 of the State Land Code for Kampung Mang, Samarahan.

“Upon the expiration of the land ownership period, the land will revert to being state land. Nevertheless, landowners can apply for re-ownership of the land. The tenure of ownership depends on the approved land use and the policies practiced by the government,” he said.

Meanwhile, RM19,286,252.36 in land compensation was handed out for two major projects in Sarawak.

The Village Expansion Scheme (SPK) Beliong in Samarahan saw 21 recipients receiving RM2,747,946.00, while the 275KV Kuching Network Reinforcement Projects (Entingan B-Tanjung Bako 275KV Transmission Line Projects) (Samarahan Sector)provided RM16,538,306.36 to 143 recipients for infrastructure development.

In total, 164 recipients benefitted from the programmes.