Infrastructure projects in Pahang

RM23.5m for infrastructure projects in Pahang
By Roslina Mohamad
Thursday January 17, 2008

KUANTAN: Malaysia Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has drawn up plans to carry out several infrastructure projects for Pahang costing more than RM23.5mil that include developing the Universal Service Provision (USP) programme in five districts.

About RM20mil will be spent in Maran, Pekan, Rompin, Bera and Jerantut districts.

Another project is to build community broadband centres in Kuantan, Maran, Rompin, Bera, Bentong, Lipis and Jerantut at a cost of RM3.5mil.

According to state Science, Innovation, Information and Information Technology Committee chairman Datuk Mohd Sharkar Shamsuddin, plans to build Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) infrastructure in Pahang were designed to complement the development and implementation of the East Coast Economic Region (ECER) blueprint.

Mohd Sharkar said, under the Private Finance Initiative, 70 new telecommunication towers in rural areas, mainly in Felda land schemes, would be built.

He added that the state, through its newly-established wholly-owned company, Pahang Technology Resources Sdn Bhd, was expected to spur ICT growth for economic reasons as well as public convenience.

He said the state and MCMC would organise awareness campaigns on utilising ICT tools and infrastructure by holding exhibitions, seminars on creative content development, workshops and dialogues between the industry and consumers.

On the state’s efforts to ensure ICT facilities were accessible in the state, especially to rural folks, Mohd Sharkar said rural ICT centres were set up in public libraries.

“To date, there are 10 such centres at public libraries in Temerloh, Bentong, Cameron Highlands and Kuantan.

“More ICT centres will be set up this year,” he added.

In a move to encourage ICT-related activities being carried out more actively, ICT Club was established and launched by Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob recently, he said.

The state had high hopes that the plans and activities lined up would provide exposure on ICT usage to the public and business community so that they would get the right benefits, Mohd Sharkar said. -- The Star Metro