KOTA KINABALU: Illegal structures built on 150 acres of land belonging to the Fisheries Department in Sepanggar will be demolished soon.
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Jeffrey Kitingan said the land, which is part of the department’s 260 acres land, has already been earmarked for development projects for the Greater Kota Kinabalu.
“This will include large-scale projects by the current administration to develop a smart city on this land. This issue has been decided and agreed upon by the cabinet.
“The GRS government is serious about developing this land and ensuring that it is not encroached upon by outsiders, particularly those who have no right to be in Sabah in the first place,” he said.
Kitingan, who is also the Agriculture and Fisheries Minister made the remarks today after visiting the squatters in the self-proclaimed Kg Warisan in Sepanggar.
Around 800 illegal structures dotted the width and breadth of the 150 acres land. Some structures are hidden deep within the mangrove forests, making it difficult for the authorities to enforce the law.
Furthermore, power theft is rampant in the area and most of the live cables are buried underground, putting enforcement personnel at risk of electrocution whenever they attempt to access these squatters.
Apart from the ‘Kg Warisan’, squatters in the areas have organised themselves in two other self-declared villages namely Kg Berunai and Kg Juara.
“They have actually tried several times to get the government to recognise them as official villages. But this cannot be allowed because the land belongs to the Fisheries Department.
“Several demolition exercises have been carried out in the past, but people can be tenacious. The government demolished several structures only to see new structures replacing them in a matter of months.
“It is, without a doubt, a cancer that must be eradicated once and for all,” he said.
During his visit, Kitingan also met with several squatters in the area, advising them not to allow any more people to build homes there because the structures will be demolished anyway, and informing them of the government’s plan for the land.
“We must safeguard our assets, but we must also consider the plight of genuine Sabahans who live there. I understand that some of the squatters include government servants too,” he said.
At the same time, Kitingan urged the Fisheries Department to submit proposals on how to fully utilise the land once it has been cleared of squatters.-pr/BNN
