KOTA BELUD: As many as 273 landowners from 17 villages in the Kadamaian state constituency today received compensation offer letters for the Kota Belud 132kv transmission line project to Ranau in a ceremony held here.
The offer letters issued by the Sabah Land and Survey Department to the Kota Belud Land and Survey Office, were presented by Sabah Rural Development Minister cum Kadamaian assemblyman Datuk Ewon Benedick to landowners affected by the project.
Speaking at the event, Ewon said the handing over of the compensation offer letters was important as part of the process of cooperation between the government, monitoring agencies, implementing contractors and landowners or agricultural areas involved.
He said the electricity transmission line project through the Rural Electricity Supply Programme will benefit 13,000 consumers in 215 villages around Kota Belud and Ranau, however, on matters pertaining to ownership of native customary rights (NCR) land or native land owners (NT) must be resolved before the large project was commenced or completed.
Ewon said this was to avoid any issues from arising later such as compensation had not been resolved during the implementation of the project and to ensure that similar incidents that occurred before does not recur.
He also expressed his appreciation to SESB’s management for taking a proactive approach to hold dialogue sessions with the villagers regarding the transmission line project area as a letter was received from the residents expressing concern about the implementation of the project.
The transmission line project involving a total cost of RM150 million was expected to be completed as scheduled on March 14 next year, he said. — Bernama
