THE State Government has measured 25,591 native land lots covering 33,891.181 hectares across Sabah under the Special Programme for the Survey of Sabah Native Land (Pantas) from January 2020 to June 2026.
Assistant to the Chief Minister Datuk Isnin Aliasnih, replying on behalf of the Chief Minister, said the programme received RM83 million from the Prime Minister’s Department’s Implementation Coordination Unit (ICU) during the period.
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He was responding to a question from Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis (Warisan-Usukan), who asked about the programme’s allocation, technical workforce and land surveyed under Pantas statewide and in Kota Belud between 2020 and 2025.
Isnin said under the 13th Malaysia Plan (2026-2030), the Federal Government has approved a further RM10 million for the programme, with RM1 million already channelled to the Sabah Lands and Surveys Department this year.
He said 53 survey teams have been deployed throughout Sabah to carry out land surveys under the programme.
In Kota Belud alone, four survey teams have measured 5,347 land lots covering 2,998.590 hectares during the same period.
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As of June 30, 2026, Isnin said there were still 26,808 land applications being processed at district land offices throughout Sabah.
He said the State Government is intensifying efforts to speed up land application processing and title issuance by strengthening monitoring at every stage, accelerating surveys for approved applications through systematic surveying programmes, using modern surveying equipment and expanding the department’s digital systems.
However, he said the processing period varies depending on factors such as land status, overlapping claims, technical investigations, manpower constraints, compliance with the Sabah Land Ordinance and existing State Government policies.
To address manpower shortages, Isnin said the Sabah Lands and Surveys Department is recruiting 30 Assistant Surveyors (Grade J5), with the positions currently being advertised.
“The additional personnel are expected to strengthen the department’s technical capacity, particularly in expediting land survey work throughout Sabah,” he said.
Responding to a supplementary question from Isnaraissah on whether the allocation was sufficient, Isnin said the current funding is expected to sustain the programme until the end of next year.
He said about RM8 million in additional funding has also been requested from the Federal Government.
“I think we will request for more allocation,” he added.
For Tamparuli, Isnin said 822 land applications are awaiting land suitability assessments and site inspections before being tabled to the Tuaran District Land Use Committee, while 341 approved applications are awaiting surveys and another 219 have completed surveys and are undergoing survey plan verification and land title preparation.
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