RM1.87 Billion Approved For 37 Rural Road, 17 Bridge Projects In Kelantan

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 17 (Bernama) -- A total of 37 rural road improvement and 17 rural bridge projects have been approved in Kelantan, with a total cost of RM1.87 billion under the Rural Road Programme (JALB) this year.

Deputy Minister of Rural and Regional Development, Datuk Rubiah Wang, said of the total, six projects have been completed, while 32 are still under construction and 16 are in the pre-implementation stage.

“The approval and implementation of road and bridge projects are based on requests from the state government, following the priority list submitted to the ministry during each rolling period,” she said during the question-and-answer session in the Dewan Negara today.

“Kelantan continues to receive increased funding for the implementation of projects under the ministry  (KKDW). Next year, Kelantan’s allocation will be increased to RM450.7 million,” she added.

Rubiah was responding to an supplementary question from Senator Nik Mohamad Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz regarding the status of rural development projects in Kelantan under JALB this year, particularly since the state often faces natural disasters at the end of each year.

She said the monitoring and evaluation of rural development projects are carried out through coordination meetings at the federal, ministry, and state levels, along with regular reports and field visits.

Rubiah noted that while most projects are progressing positively, some have faced delays due to various factors. As a result, the ministry has implemented corrective and improvement measures to ensure that these projects are completed on schedule, meet the set objectives, and enhance the wellbeing of rural communities.

Earlier, in response to a question from Senator Michael Mujah Lihan about the status of the programme to restore abandoned rubber plantations in Sarawak, Rubiah said 553 hectares of plantations had been rehabilitated, and 365 hectares are currently undergoing restoration, involving 608 smallholder farmers this year, with an allocation of RM3.3 million under the Abandoned Rubber Plantation Programme (PGT).

She added that last year, 243 hectares of rubber plantations were rehabilitated, benefiting 142 smallholders, with an allocation of RM656,000 under PGT.

“Overall, 796 hectares of rubber plantations have been successfully rehabilitated in Sarawak, with a total cost of RM3.956 million, benefiting 750 smallholders in Sarawak,” she said.

-- BERNAMA