By Jaythaleela K
MIRI, Nov 2: Some 75,120 people from 244 villages within Baram Parliamentary will benefit from projects to be implemented under the Highland Development Agency (HDA) once the projects commence next year in stages.
The state government has approved allocations totalling RM1.5 billion for this purpose.
This was announced by HDA chairman Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas on Thursday after attending a special briefing with nearly 200 local community leaders and various government agencies on HDA in Miri.
According to Uggah, the allocation involved 43 infrastructure projects under the HDA in Baram parliamentary constituency which includes Telang Usan and Mulu state constituencies.
“The projects will be closely monitored by the Regional Corridor Development Authority (RECODA).
“These projects will commence next year (2019) until 2020 in stages, to bring faster-paced development to the areas through commercial agriculture,” Uggah disclosed.
This includes rural road construction projects (21 projects costing RM1.264 billion); water supply projects costing RM210 million (20 projects) and electricity supply projects (two projects costing RM25.6 million).
Uggah is confident with the establishment of HDA as a platform to speed up Baram’s development. HDA oversees a total of 18,462 squares kilometres.
Uggah said the state government is committed to bringing development across Sarawak.
“We at Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) aim to solve the problems of the rakyat and bring development to them, that is why we established HDA, Upper Rajang Development Agency (URDA) and the Northern Region Development Agency (NRDA),” Uggah said.
He also highlighted the state government is aiming to further develop various industries with potential in this region, such as agriculture, livestock rearing and fruit plantation through HDA.
Therefore, he hopes, with better infrastructure within the area, products that are produced here could be better distributed.
Hence, Uggah called on people within HDA’s development areas to give their undivided support towards GPS under the leadership of Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg.
He said only GPS has the familiarity and ability to administrate Sarawak better than anyone else.
“Only Sarawakians know how to manage Sarawak’s peoples and its assets,” he reiterated.
Also present were Mulu assemblyman, Dato Gerawat Gala who is also HDA’s deputy chairman, Telang Usan assemblyman, Dennis Ngau, former Deputy Chief Minister, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu Numpang and the Regional Corridor Development Authority (RECODA) chief executive officer (CEO), Datu Ismawi Ismuni. — DayakDaily
