Illegal occupation of state land : a case study in Kampar and Kinta

Abstract

This study concerns with illegal occupation and illegal operation of state land in Perak. In 2014, more than 17,000 hectares of land in Perak had been illegally cleared, resulted in the state government losing hundreds of millions ringgit in revenue. The state government of Perak introduced the rehabilitation program of illegal land in 2011 named as ‘Pelan Tindakan Anti Usaha Haram (PATUH)’. Despite it is still running until now (2018) the program had yet unable to address the problem comprehensively. Therefore, this study is undertaken to identify the issues related to the illegal land occupation and operation of state land and calculate the potential income to the state, as well as to provide strategies and solution to overcome the issues. Inventory survey was conducted to assess the physical condition of the illegal land in selected district namely District of Kampar and Kinta. Secondary data and interview were conducted to identify and describe the issues regarding land administration, state revenue matters and environmental pollutions. Under PATUH scheme, most of the identified land had been alienated or given to the state agencies with minimal charges. Findings show that despite the implementation of PATUH program in addressing the issues, the programme alone is unable to overcome illegal encroachment on state land in Perak. Thus, it may occur again in the future as the PATUH program and its implementation does not give significant impact in addressing the illegal land occupation and operation in Perak. This study propose that land charges under PATUH should be increased in order to improve the revenue to the state. The study also proposed that the land is to tender openly (Open Tender System) to the public through land alienation process for state benefits.