Land policy encourages devt of agro lands By Puvaneswary Devindran
KUCHING: Sarawak’s land policy has been drawn up in such a way as to encourage owners to develop their agriculture lands in sub-urban and urban areas.
Second Minister of Planning and Resource Management Dato Sri Awang Tengah Ali Hassan told reporters this after handing out land titles to 305 villagers from Kampung Tanjong Poting and Kampung Tanjong Senibong at Singgai in Bau yesterday.
He said agriculture lands located in sub-urban and urban area could fetch a high price if developed.
“If they (land owners) proceed to develop these lands, it (land value) would outweigh the premium to be paid. That is basically why we have this sort of policy,” he added.
He was commenting on reports of land owners in Sibu being unhappy over the rates charged. The matter, highlighted by Sibu branch chairman of Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP), Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh showed that some owners had been assessed at rates from RM30,000 to RM90,000 per acre for lands in sub-urban areas.
Wong said this contravened the land policy, and that the reason given by the Land and Survey Department was that the lands were not fully utilised for agriculture or were used for residential purposes.
Under the policy, the land premium was only RM200 per acre for agriculture or country land. For agriculture lands within the sub-urban area, the owners would have to pay 25 per cent of the land value or the maximum of RM5,000 per acre, whichever is less.
If the lands were within the town district, the owners need to fork out 25 per cent of the value or the maximum of RM10,000 per acre.
“Here there are a lot of grey areas. It should, for example, define the extent the land should be used whether intensively, sporadically or minimally. We have been approached and have helped many landowners in Limbang, Bintulu and Lawas. But it is impossible for every individual to come and see us. That is why we have reactivated the committee,” he said in reference to SUPP’s land committee.
Meanwhile Tengah said he would have to find out what was going on in Sibu but that normally for undeveloped land, the premium would be based on 25 per cent of the market value of the land; but if fully developed, it’s a flat rate of RM5,000 per acre for lands in the sub-urban areas and RM10,000 per acre for lands in the urban area.
When asked if the land policy would go through another review if more people were unhappy over it, he replied: “We had just reviewed it but nothing is static in this world.”
He said the most important thing was that the people be thoroughly informed about the policy, and taught how to calculate the premium based on the formula to avoid misunderstanding.
Earlier in his speech, Tengah said concerted effort was required to facilitate survey work on all traditional lands in Sarawak, so the people could get their deeds faster.
He said that it was an ongoing work for the Land and Survey Department to get the deeds for the people for free, even when it had to spent on average RM60,000 monthly for the work to be done in an area.
“The title you get is a perpetuity one and it is free from survey fees or tax. But even so, your lands carry value because they are located in an area accessible to and near development. So do not think that just because you got it for free, your land is of no value,” he added.
Tengah reminded that the land would not have value only if there was no development nearby. As such, he called on the people to support the government of the day as it brought development to the nation.
He said Barisan Nasional was able to bring development to the people because it worked on ensuring stability in the country. Tengah praised Tasik Biru assemblyman Peter Nansian Ngusie for being proactive, which enabled people in his area to receive over 3,000 land titles.
He said there were over 1,000 more land titles to be given out to five more villages in the area; and assured that the Land and Survey Department would continue to work on this, provided the people cooperated with the department.Yesterday’s event saw 117 villagers in Kampung Tanjong Poting receive a total of 159 land titles while 188 from Kampung Tanjong Senibong received 228 land titles.
Nansian, Sarawak Land and Survey Department Kuching Controller Abdullah Julaihi and organising chairman Loren Sikui also spoke at the event.
( UTUSAN BORNEO 30/9/2008)
No comments:
Post a Comment