KUCHING : The Sarawak government is targeting to complete its perimeter surveying of over 250,000ha of native customary rights land by the end of this year.

Second Planning and Resource Management Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hassan said an allocation of RM30mil had already been approved for the ongoing exercise.

“Last year, RM20mil was approved and so far we have focused on 100 areas in the state and 200,000ha had been approved to be surveyed,” he said at the handing over of communal reserve titles and compensation to land owners at the Samarahan Civic Centre near here yesterday.

Tengah who is also the Public Utilities Minister, assured land owners that the government’s intention to have this NCR land initiative was sincere as it helped put things in a more coordinated manner.

He said the perimeter surveying would eventually lead to surveying of individual lands, hence a “great start for natives to develop their land”.

Tengah, however, cautioned the people not fall for the tricks of the Opposition out to politicize the initiative for personal gains.

“They will say all sorts of things because they want to score points in their political agenda. But don’t they realize that this was hampering development of the people and the state?” he said.

Tengah said even though the government acquired land to build infrastructures, all this was done through proper procedures and the land owners were compensated accordingly,

Citing Kota Samarahan as an example, he said in the past the government only needed a little piece of land to build bunds and drains but now it required more in order to have double carriageways to benefit the growing population.

Furthermore, he said with these development, the land value in the area was sure to rise.

Tengah later presented communal reserve titles to community leaders of 14 villagers namely Merang Lama, Merang Baru, Sungai Turong, Bedega, Bintawa Lama, Seruit, Betong Kanowit, Tanjong Bundong, Baru, Tambey, Muara Tuang, Pinang, entigan and Nangka, the span surveyed was 673.637ha.

He also gave out compensation to 86 landowners whose lands were acquired to upgrade a 7km Mambong/Sejingkat stretch. The total area of land acquired was 10.96ha and the compensation amounted to RM3.7mil.

(Source: The Star, 18 August 2011)