KEMAMAN: Terengganu government has proposed for the establishment of a special committee, involving states’ representatives, to obtain the best results pertaining to the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project.
Menteri Besar Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar said the move would enable a solution to be achieved while avoiding conflicting information at the federal level.
Discussions with representatives from Terengganu, Kelantan and Pahang would be very important as they were the project’s stakeholders, he said.
“We understand the constraint faced by the federal government but we must also take into account on what to do with existing infrastructure including some of the completed rail tracks and there are sites that already being cleared to make way for the construction of stations and administrative centres.
“This is just one of the many issues that have arisen and I think there is a need for a special committee to be established that involve states’ representatives to address the issue,” he said after officiating the state-level Quran Recital event at the Kemaman Municipal Council’s Dewan Berlian last night.
He added that the Terengganu government welcomed all forms of discussion with the federal government, especially when it involved the interests of the state and the people.
Hence, he hoped a new decision and solution could be reached as soon as possible.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said no final decision on the ECRL project had been made and was still in ‘negotiating’ phase.
In another development, Ahmad Samsuri said the state government would build two Braille Al-Quran learning centres in the Kemaman and Besut districts this year to provide opportunities and facilities for visually impaired students to study the Quran better.
“We have agreed for this in the 2019 state budget and an allocation of RM3 million will be channelled for that purpose.
“We are in the final process of preparation, so with the two centres they will no longer have to come all the way to the learning centre in Kuala Nerus, thus saving time and money,” he said, adding that the state government planned to set up such centre in every district in the future. — Bernama
