PROOF: Ling (right) and Chai show to reporters the letters that had been sent to the Land and Survey Department.
MIRI: The Land and Survey Department has been urged to be responsive when approached by the public for help on land matters.
Failure to do so could cause problems to the land owners, said Piasau assemblyman Alan Ling Sie Kiong to reporters at the DAP Piasau Service Centre yesterday.
Ling claimed that since 2011 he had received 22 similar complaints about land issues, but replies from the department was lukewarm.
“Whether it was lost between the piles or because the officers are too busy to handle the chores, eventually they cannot just ignore the matter,” said Ling.
Also present was Chai Tze Khiun, who is struggling to claim his right to a piece of land in Sibuti Land District. He said he bought that land some six years ago.
“Chai dished out RM42,000 to buy the 5.49 acres of land, but found out later that it was a double-titled land. It was a preventable mistake,” said Ling.
“The purchasing process that involves a lawyer as witness and the Land and Survey Department for name transfer was said to be smooth, which means that the land is available. Therefore, I believe it was a mistake made by the officer.”
Ling said the land in question – Lot 1205 Sibuti Land District – formed part of the Paya Selanyau Scheme agriculture project.
“The previous land owner was said to have forgotten to renew the lease of land, causing no new record in the department. Since the land is strictly entitled for cultivation of padi, there should be no much problem to, perhaps, change the address or any other possible resolution.”
He added that he had sent several letters of inquiries to the department to put Chai’s problem to rest.