KOTA KINABALU – The payment of compensation for the land used for Phase 1 of the Sg Tawau and Sg Tawau Basin flood mitigation project will be paid in accordance with the stipulated structure and market value, said Sabah Agriculture and Fisheries Assistant Minister I Datuk James Ratib.
James said the state government would not arbitrarily take people’s land and landowners should be compensated with reasonable value.
“The compensation payment is under the law we have, and there is no law that can provide for the acquisition of land or the use of the property by force without adequate compensation,” he said in a statement here today.
He said the project was facing constraints at the moment because the land acquisition has not been fully completed.
“The ministry is looking for the best way to speed up the land acquisition process through the Irrigation and Drainage Department,” James said.
“I also understand that as a result of recent discussions, landowners agreed to accept the compensation offered by the government.”
James said the project was an effort to reduce the risk of floods in Tawau district. – Bernama, December 4, 2020
