By James Ling

KAPIT:  Minister of Special Functions Tan Sri  Adenan Satem has advised NCR land owners here to apply to Land and Survey Department if they want their lands to be surveyed under the government’s  New NCR Perimeter Survey Initiative.

At the same time, he told them to ensure there must be no disputes over the lands, and put pegs to indicate boundaries of their lands to facilitate the survey by the department.

“The copy of the gazette and the plan indicating the precise boundary of an NCR communal area that has been surveyed must be kept properly in the longhouse to prove ownership,” he said at the Open Day of Land and Survey Department at the civic centre here on Tuesday morning.

He reminded the department  to pay compensation to claimants within the shortest time possible.

“Don’t delay.   Settle the amount that was agreed and don’t interfere in disputes.  Let the court decide,” he said.

At the function, Minister in the Chief Minister’s Office gave out gazettes and plans indicating the precise boundary of NCR communal areas that have been surveyed to eigth Tuai Rumah from Kapit and Song district.

He also presented land compensations amounting to RM3,201,193.56 to 42 out of 63 claimants for land acquired by the government for development projects.

Meanwhile, the department’s superintendent in Kapit Norlina Ra’ee disclosed that two NCR areas in Kapit Division had been gazette as Native Communal Reserve under Section 6 of the Land Code.

The areas are Sungai Amang, Melekun with an estimated size of 120 hectares and Sipan Sesawal/Temalat, Song (528.1 hectares).

She also said the department was in the process of gazetting from additional atras covering some 13,618 hectares in Kapit where survey work had been completed.  The areas are Sungai Menuan, Sungai Belawai, Batang Rajang/Balui, Belaga and Nanga Mujong/Pulau Won Baleh.

In addition, she also revealed that survey works were ongoing in four areas in Kapit, spanning about 30,103 hectares.

The New NCR Initiatives is done in two stages.  First, perimeter survey is done to delineate boundaries of NCR land within the state land.  The NCR land will be declared Native Communal Reserve under Section 6 of the Land Code.

Secondly, NCR landowners must determine the boundaries of their individual parcel of land with the gazette communal reserve to enable the department to carry out individual survey for issuance of land title under Section 18 of the State Land Code.

The rights over land gazette as communal reserve is administered and regulated by the native system of personal law of the native communities concerned.  This means that the acquisition, usage, transfer of transition of rights and privileges over land, buildings or any structure thereon shall be governed by the customary law of the natives for whose benefit the NCR is declared.

Present were the department’s state director Sajeli kipli, polical secretaries Daniel Jubang, Wilson Nyabong and Tunku Gerunan, Residen Dahim Nadot, Song and Kapit district officers Galong Luang and Simon Jaut Tiok, Kapit information officer Koh Kumbong and heads of government departments.

(Source:  The Borneo Post, 12 October 2011)