Almost 8,000ha of Perak land encroached upon, says Saarani

IPOH: A total of 7,872.71ha of land in Perak has been encroached upon for agricultural and residential purposes, says Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad.

“Nearly 93% was used for agriculture while the remaining 400.0ha was used for illegal farming and industry. A further 165.03ha were occupied by squatters,” the Mentri Besar said.

Saarani added that the Perak government has implemented various initiatives to address the issue, such as a legalisation process through the relevant agencies and a committee to solve the problem of squatters.

ALSO READ: Illegal mining project polluted river water, say Hulu Kinta farmers

He was responding to Razman Zakaria (PN-Gunung Semanggol) at the state assembly sitting here on Wednesday (Dec 21).

Saarani also added that no one was allowed to conduct any activities on government-owned or gazetted land without permission from the state.

“Those wishing to do so should apply through the Land and District Offices. It may take some time to approve because the approvals (require) reports from related agencies such as the Public Works Department (JKR),” he said.

ALSO READ: ‘Alternative land offered unsuitable for agriculture’

Khalil Yahya (PN-Kubu Gajah) then asked about the state’s plan to solve the issue of squatters in his constituency.

“There are people who have been squatters for nearly three generations. In fact, I was told that there are about 500 families. What is the state’s plan to solve this?” he said.

Saarani responded that the land could be located in high-risk areas.

ALSO READ: Those who wish to develop reserved land must apply at Land Office, says MB

“There are cases where the houses were built on the state Irrigation and Drainage Department and JKR-gazetted lands.

“These locations might be prone to floods and unsafe, and this is why no approval was given in the first place,” he said.