SABAH Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor has directed all federal school and clinic projects currently on hold due to land title issues to proceed without them.
He explained that these projects can begin as the lands have already been gazetted for federal development purposes.
“The State Government has decided there is no need to wait for land titles if the land has been gazetted for federal development projects.
“If the land is required for building schools or clinics, we must facilitate the process to avoid delays in implementing these projects,” Hajiji said during his working visit to the Ministry of Community Development and People’s Wellbeing in Kota Kinabalu today.
The Chief Minister also urged the Ministry to engage with relevant federal agencies in Sabah to strengthen cooperation.
“With active engagement and cooperation, we can implement development projects smoothly,” he said, in response to issues raised by Community Development and People’s Wellbeing Minister Datuk James Ratib.
Hajiji however did not reveal how many such projects are currently on hold due to this. His directive only applies to projects currently on hold due to the absence of land titles.
On a separate matter, Ratib had previously revealed that several federal facilities were operating illegally on state land.
He noted that 47 federal land sites in Sabah have yet to apply for titles, 120 sites are in the application process, while 219 have registered titles.
The Federal Lands and Mineral Department has attributed this problem due to bureaucratic red tape.
Its Director-General Fazlina Abdul Rani said that the process is slowed by the need to file all land application forms with federal authorities before the department's state officer can endorse them on behalf of the federal land commission.
Only after which, the documents can be processed and registered in Sabah.
Fazlina said the matter is further aggravated due to a lack of officers familiar with the procedures and land code in Sabah. - October 8, 2024
