KUCHING, Oct 19 — The Dayak Bidayuh National Association (DBNA) will continue to ensure that the Native Customary Rights (NCR) lands among the Bidayuh community are surveyed and given ownership grants, said its advisor Datuk Amar Micheal Manyin Jawong.

A report by Sarawak Public Communications Unit (Ukas) today quoted him as saying the achievement made by the authorities for traditional village survey, perimeter survey and individual lots survey for the years of 2020 and 2021 have been very good although many had not been completed.

"What is important now is the desire or dream of every Bidayuh elected assemblymen to see all NCR lands in their area have been surveyed,” he said as quoted in the report.

Manyin, who is also Minister of Education, Science and Technological Research, mentioned these when chairing a briefing and discussion on the NCR Land Survey in the eight Bidayuh state constituencies with the Sarawak Land and Survey Department yesterday.

Also present were Assistant Minister of Modernisaton of Agriculture, Native Land and Regional Development Datuk Roland Sagah Wee Inn, Tasik Biru assemblyman Dato Henry Harry Jinep, Serembu assemblyman Miro Simuh, Kedup assemblyman Martin Ben, Bukit Semuja assemblyman John Ilus, and political secretary to the chief minister Dr. Simon Sinang Bada.

Tebedu, Tarat, Tasik Biru, Serembu, Kedup, Bukit Semuja, Mambong and Opar are the eight state constituencies with Bidayuh-majority population.

In the briefing, Land and Survey deputy director Awang Zamhari Awang Mahmood revealed 27 per cent of the NCR lands in the Bidayuh areas have been surveyed as of September 30, this year.

The Ukas report quoted him as saying the total area of ​Bidayuh ​NCR lands that have already been surveyed is 8,489.66 hectares, involving a total of 6,011 individual lots.

"The Land and Survey Department will also continue the work of surveying NCR lands in each Bidayuh state constituency starting next week in areas already approved by the elected representatives and the Department,” he had said.

It was also learnt that DBNA deputy president Charlie Ungang was among those invited to the briefing, where he presented points and updates on the DBNA Land Documentation Initiative. Charlie is also DBNA Land Documentation Committee chairman. — Borneo Post