Highway realigned to help small towns

Highway realigned to help small towns
Friday August 15, 2008

KUALA TERENGGANU: The several realignments made to the East Coast Highway were to benefit the smaller towns, the state assembly was told yesterday.

The state government did not want to see the smaller towns, especially Kuala Berang, turn into sleepy hollows, said Mentri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said.

“We don’t want the same situation that hit Temerloh and Maran (in Pahang) to recur here, and the state government therefore constantly consulted the Federal Government to review the alignments,” he said in reply to a written question by Mohd Zawawi Ismail (BN – Kuala Berang).

He said, with the new alignments, towns like Kuala Berang would still be lively, as the interchange would be situated only five minutes from the town.

Ahmad said the highway link to Kuala Berang was also complemented by a new connection to Cameron Highlands and Ipoh via Aring and Gua Musang in Kelantan.

He said with the road connection to Perak, the state government would also enhance infrastructure and develop more shophouses in Kuala Berang.

Meanwhile, the assembly was also told that the state received RM510.76mil in investment from foreign and local investors between January and May.

State Industrial, Commerce and Environmental committee chairman Toh Chin Yaw said foreign investors invested RM38.26mil in Kerteh and Telok Kalong Industrial estate in Kemaman.

Toh, replying to a question by Datuk Tengku Hassan Tengku Omar (PAS – Ladang), said the state government would revive the less popular industrial estates, like in Batu Rakit here, to attract more investors.

State Agriculture and Agro-based Industry committee chairman Rozi Mamat said plans were afoot to expand the Bumi Hijau agro programme to selected schools. The state government had allocated RM20,000 for this purpose.

The Bumi Hijau programme was mooted to encourage the people to cultivate vegetables in their backyard for their own consumption to defray the escalating cost of living. -- The Star.

---

Comment: So look like in future there will be another new route from East Coast Highway.