By : SHALINA R
THE MINISTRY of
Infrastructure Development (MOID) has received RM368.51 million under the 2013
state budget. "It is the largest allocation for development purposes among
the Ministries," Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of the Infrastructure
Development (MOID), Tan Sri Datuk Seri Panglima Joseph Pairin Kitingan said in
his winding up speech at the 5th term State Assembly meeting.
This allocation will have a
profound impact in terms of improving the community's quality of life and will
be distributed to four departments under his ministry.
RM186.9 million will be
allocated to the Public Works Department (PWD). The department will spend
RM109.1 on the construction of roads in major cities and small towns throughout
the state and in the sectors identified as drivers of the economy such as
agriculture, manufacturing and tourism.
As for the rest of the sum,
PWD will spend RM21.8 million on the Bridge Program, RM17.5 million on the
Slope Program, RM3.24 million on the Building Program and RM 35.3 million on
the Sewerage Projects.
Water supply throughout the
state will receive a great deal of attention. Pairin's ministry will continue
with the development works of water supply throughout the state.
Part of the RM164.9 million
allocated to the Sabah Water Department
(SWD) will be used to continue with the Non-revenue Water Reduction Program,
Pipe Installation Program and Booster Pump System Upgrade Program.
A total of RM13 million will
be allocated for the Emergency Water Works Program and RM18.4 million will be
used for the Main Pipe Upgrade, Distribution and Reticulation Program.
Besides that, RM7.9 million
will be spent for the building or upgrading of water treatment plants and 'Muka
Sauk' (a building erected at the river bank which houses submersible pumps).
RM11 million is allocated for research work and the Design Preparation Project.
Pairin also told the Dewan
that the RM13.5 million allocation for the Ports and Harbor Department will be
utilised for the installation of beacons and navigation aids to increase the
number of water traffic facilities in ports and rivers.
Dredging river works will
also be conducted and RM1 million is the expected cost. Some areas have been
identified for this work such as the Garama River and Kimanis waters. The
Shipping Traffic Monitoring Towers construction in Kimanis, worth RM3.5
million, will be continued. It is expected to be completed in 2013. A tug boat
costing RM7.4 million is also in the implementation schedule.
He added, the Railway
Department will be receiving RM3.25 million and part of it will be utilised to
upgrade the railway services in order for it to be an alternative public
transport that is reliable and
comfortable for the people.
These efforts have shown
positive growth as the number of passengers using rail services has increased significantly.
By the end of 2011, the number of passengers using the railway service reached
593,033 people and the revenue generated for that period amounted to RM1.26
million.
The Deputy Chief Minister
also said, "My ministry is concerned with the current electricity supply
situation in Sabah. Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) has assured us that they
will continue to work with the existing resources and provide a more reliable
source of electricity supply. As a positive move, the Federal Government, between 2010
and 2012, has channeled funds of RM724.0 million in order to upgrade the
electricity supply infrastructure in Sabah particularly to strengthen the
generation, transmission and distribution sector." (Insight Sabah)
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