LAWAS: Compensation of land acquired by the government in the state is based on market value and titles are issued for any remaining portion of land not affected by the alienation exercise.

Second Minister of Planning and Resource Management Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hassan said this in the presentation of land compensation cheques and presentation of land titles to 104 of the 188 recipients whose land were acquired in Limbang Division yesterday.

Commending the recipients for their co-operation, he said the rate of compensation calculated by Land and Survey Department is based on average of current transactions in their record in their respective areas.

“In Australia, land owners affected by small village access roads are not given compensation while  in Singapore those affected are paid only according to the fixed rate of 1973,” he said.

The state government  paid out RM 1.172 million to the 188 land owners for acquisition of land for six road projects in the division under the National Key Results Areas ( NKRAs) through the Land and Survey Department here.

The access road projects are in Kampung Belimbing, Simpang Aru ( Sundar), Ladang Baru-Luagan, Kampung Lubok Abai-Ranau, Kampung Sualai and Kampung Surabaya.

On land ownership transfer, he advised land owners to do it properly to avoid complications in future transactions of their land as problems could arise in the event of death of the owner or change of citizenship.

Awing Tengah pointed out that land acquisition was inevitable as the state government had to implement RM 2 billion worth of rural roads projects throughout the state totalling  889 km, under the National Key Results Area (NKRAs).

The state has also been allocated RM 1.7 billion for rural watersupply projects, targeting 90,000 households and another RM 1.7 billion for Rural Electrification ( 77,000 households) under the NKRAs programme in 2010-2012 period.

Implementation of these projects can be challenging without the people’s co-operation as there were people in some places who even demanded compensation for passage of water mains or erection of electric poles on road reserves or road shoulders.

“By right, the issue of compensation does not arise but in certain places there are people who oppose and it is the people who would lose out if the project is jeopardised,” he said.

Earlier, the new divisional Land and Survey Superintendent Hardi bin Fadillah Hamzah thanked the land owners for their co-operation which enabled the department to carry out the land acquisition smoothly.

Also present at the function were Lawas Member of Parliament Datuk Henry Sum Agong, state assemblymen Dr Abdul Rahman Ismail ( Bukit Kota), Paulus Palu Gumbang ( Batu Danau), Lawas District Officer Mohd Supaih Hamdan and community leaders.

(Source: Borneo Post Online, 21/8/11)