KUCHING, July 8 — The Perikatan Nasional (PN) federal government has allocated RM7.5 million to Sarawak for its land perimeter survey initiative, said Deputy Chief Minister III Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan.

He said the federal government had extended the allocation despite having to grapple with various challenges, especially those triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Although it is facing many challenges like managing the economy, helping people who lost their sources of income… this Perikatan Nasional government gave RM7.5 million to us to continue (survey work on customary rights land),” he said when speaking at the presentation of land titles to landowners of Kampung Pueh, Sematan, about 104km from here, today. 

He said the federal allocation was in addition to the Sarawak government’s commitment, where Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Openg had announced a RM40 million allocation to continue with the perimeter survey, which has covered 934,288 ha of land so far.

"In a short period of 10 years (since 2010), our output (in the perimeter survey) is 20 times (higher) and on average we could survey 103,800 ha per year,” he said, comparing to the previous method used since the 1960s which covered only about 260,000 ha. — Bernama