By Geryl Ogilvy
KUCHING, Feb 13: The first phase of the village relocation exercise under the grand Darul Hana Development project is expected to take place in the third quarter of this year.
Pantai Damai assemblyman Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Junaidi, who is also the minister-in-charge of DBKU (Kuching North City Hall), said a total 573 households from three villages – Kampung Semarang, Kampung Pulo Hulu and Kampung Panglima Seman Lama – will be relocated first, considering their locations.
The Darul Hana Development project, which benefits 12 villages in the ‘Seberang Hilir’ area along the Sarawak River in Petra Jaya, will see some 2,640 households relocated to the new township in the next 10 years.
These villages, from Kampung Bintawa Hilir to Kampung Boyan, included Gersik and Sourabaya among others.
“We have built 573 new houses of various types to cater for residents of these three villages. We are relocating these villages first because we want to start from the middle of the ‘Seberang Hilir’ area to ensure smooth relocation process.
“The whole relocation process is expected to take 10 years, until 2030,” he told reporters after launching the Al Quran disposal site at Darul Hana Mosque here today.
The Darul Hana Development project, which started in 2011, will become a state reference point for ultra-modern housing enriched with traditional values, as the government looks to solve urbanisation problems faced by old Malay villages, while protecting cultural heritage.
On another note, Dr Rahman said an Islamic-themed park currently under construction in the vicinity of Darul Hana Mosque, will be completed within four months.
Deemed the first of park of its kind in Sarawak, he added that the RM8.6 million Islamic Garden concept was based on the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Muscat, Oman.
“When completed, it will become a beautiful, iconic landscape not only at Darul Hana, but for the whole of Kuching. In addition, the Darul Hana Mosque will become the centre of Islamic activities in the area,” he continued.
On the relocation of SK Pulo to a 5-acre site at Darul Hana new township, Dr Abdul Rahman there were plans to transform the school into the first smart school in Sarawak.
At the same time, he reiterated that the state was still planning to turn SMK Tun Abang Haji Openg into a smart school. The concept for these schools would be used as models for other schools in the future.
“These smart schools will be equipped with Internet facilities, where the study process and interaction between teachers and students utilise information technology and mobile device,” he continued.
He said this was also in line with the state government’s initiative to develop the Darul Hana new township into a smart city equipped with digital infrastructure and 5G network. —DayakDaily
