DUNGUN: Terengganu is currently the fastest state in the construction of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) compared to the other three states when it has reached 90 per cent progress.
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar said the construction of the project is still on schedule and the station in Dungun which he visited today has reached 58 per cent completion.
In his survey around the station which is also to be implemented as a Transit Oriented Development (TOD), he said infrastructure issues are a challenge confronting the development of TOD which will make the area a catalyst for economic growth and new industries in Terengganu.
“There are certain challenges but I think the state government is very open to discussing with any investor who wants to invest to jointly develop TOD.
“Indeed, if we talk to investors who want to jointly develop TOD, the infrastructure needs to be in place so that they can continue to carry out development here...and that is one of our challenges,“ he said when met here today.
Previously, Ahmad Samsuri said Terengganu would implement TOD, which is an urban planning approach that emphasises the development of areas with mixed-use, easy to navigate and developed with an efficient transportation system in the area around the six ECRL stations in Terengganu.
In this regard, he said the Terengganu State Secretary (Datuk Zulkifli Ali) and the State Finance Officer (Datuk Mohd Azmi Mohamad Daham) had been asked to coordinate with the State Economic Planning Unit (UPEN) to formulate a strategy to immediately prepare the infrastructure involved to attract investors.
“And if we look specifically at the challenges here, I think it’s clear that this is a green area (new area) and there are stations that are eight to nine metres above sea level...so it needs to be reclaimed to prevent flooding.
“We need coordination with the Irrigation and Drainage Department, Public Works Department including Tenaga Nasional Berhad to ensure that the access road here is not affected by flooding and that the development construction area can also minimise the impact of the flood itself,“ he said.
In a separate development, he said the construction of 16 breakwaters to control coastal erosion issues in Batu Rakit, Kuala Nerus could continue in the near future taking into account the forecast of the Malaysian Meteorological Department which expects the phenomenon of large waves in the state to be in its final phase.
He said the construction of the breakwaters was delayed due to the barge vessel, which is the machinery that carries rocks to the middle of the sea, being unable to enter the construction area due to the large waves.
“As for the expected completion, I’m not sure how long it will take. But I have been in touch with Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof who is in charge of PETRA (Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation) and he has expressed his commitment to help and will come down to Terengganu soon to see what immediate actions can be taken,“ he said.
