By Fabian Masing

One of the many big gifts by the BN Government in recent years to the people of Kapit which has the largest area of Native Customary Rights (NCR) land in Sarawak is the ongoing NCR land perimeter survey.

The state-wide survey, by the Land and Survey Department, is aimed at giving land titles to the natives and tens of thousands of the dwellers of the 350 longhouses in Kapit are the beneficiaries.

Kapit which was considered a far-flung rural town is today a busy commercial centre of a vast division with seven banks - Maybank, Public Bank, Hong Leong Bank, RHB Bank, Bank Rakyat, AGRO Bank and Bank Simpanan Nasional.

Although logging industry has been the main business activity which provides jobs for the local residents and spill-over economic benefits to the businessmen and traders, in recent years industrialisation, tourism and plantation have also been putting money into the people’s pockets.

While coal mining is carried out in Merit and Pila, the light industrial estate in Jalan Bletih is now being expanded.

With the encouragement and assistance of the government, many farmers have gone into rubber plantation. They get a Lot of help from Rubber Development and Research Institute (RISDA). Rubber planters have greatly benefited from the high rubber prices in recent years.

The river journey from Sibu to Kapit and onward, through the rapids, to Belaga is very popular among tourists. Now with the massive Bakun Hydroelectric Dam in the upstream of the mighty Rajang River, the river travel has become more attractive.

Other tourist attractions include the many indigenous longhouses, the Gawai Dayak Festival, Fort Sylvia and Baleh Kapit Raft Safari.

Apart from the river communication, Kapit is now connected with other towns by many good tar-sealed roads. Millions have been spent on building Jalan Ulu Sungai Yong, Jalan Melipis, Jalan Ulu Katibas, Jalan Menuan and numerous smaller roads. Construction on the RM700m Jalan Kapit -Song – Kanowit has already started and is expected to be completed in 2015.

Kapit town has undergone tremendous changes. The presence of seven big banks is testimony to the economic status of the town and investors’ confidence in its future.

A satellite town, Beletih New Township, has been added to the growing Kapit town proper and a new Jalan Kapit - Song commercial project is under development. Many housing schemes have been developed to meet the growing demand of a rising population.

One more secondary school will be built in Song in addition to the four already in existence in Kapit. Giatmara Vocational Training Centre provides technical, skills courses for young school leavers on fields such as welding, brickwork, auto-repair and tailoring.

The RM28m Kapit Water Extension Plant, expected to be completed in 2012, will provide adequate piped water for residents of the town while the RM5m Rural Water Supply project now underway will solve the water supply woes of residents along Jalan Selirik.

The continuous flow of development funds into the Kapit parliamentary constituency will accelerate the pace of making Kapit a modern, prosperous division in the near future.

(Source: Sarawak Tribune, 2 September 2012)