NCR Land To Be Excised To Begaraya In Kota Marudu

KOTA MARUDU, Jan 11 (Bernama) -- The move to excise Native Customary Rights (NCR) land from an area approved to Begaraya Sdn Bhd in Kota Marudu will commence later this month, after the Chinese New Year, when the survey team will begin field surveying of two villages in Kota Marudu to issue communal titles.

Science, Technology and Innovations Minister Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili, who is also Kota Marudu Member of Parliament, said the villages were Kampung Bombong 1 (with 144 households) and Kampung Samparita (with 116 households).

"Each village will be assigned 100 acres of land as village reserve including five acres for graveyard, 20 acres for government facilities, 15 acres for each family with up to five children and 20 acres for each family of more than five children.

"Those entitled to a plot of land are families or those 18 years of age and above," he said after a meeting chaired by Land and Survey Department director Datuk Osman Jamal, here, yesterday.

Also present at the meeting were Tandek assemblyman Anita Baranting, Matunggong assemblyman Sarapin Magana and Begaraya officials.

Ongkili said that a federal allocation of RM25 million for Sabah to survey NCR land would be partly used for the exercise.

He said there were about 40 villages in Kota Marudu that overlapped with the land given to Begaraya for forestry project.

"The commencement of the survey work to excise NCR land from the Begaraya project area is a major relief to villagers in the district who have been demanding rights to their ancestral land since 1997.

"The survey work is proof that the Barisan Nasional government is serious in protecting the interest and land rights of the people especially in the rural areas," said Ongkili.