Expedite federal development projects in Sabah

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, today issued a stern directive to all department heads and district officers to expedite the implementation of federal development projects in the state.
With only six more months to go till the end of this year, he wants all department heads and district officers to take note of the issues impeding implementation while doing their best to complete the projects this year.
He said that, due to time constraints, the state government had proposed the setting up of a trust fund, where unused allocations for the year can be kept and used in the coming year.
“I want a detailed progress report at the next MTPNg (State Development Action Council) meeting this September,” he said when chairing the MTPNg meeting at Menara Kinabalu, near here today.
Also present were his deputies, namely Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan, Datuk Seri Dr Joachim Gunsalam and Datuk Shahelmey Yahya; and Prime Minister’s Department’s Implementation and Coordination Unit director-general, Datuk Seri Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz.
The meeting was told that under the MyProjek data, as of June 12 this year, 141 projects below RM50 million, worth RM1.6 billion, will be delegated to the state government through the Public Works Department and Department of Irrigation and Drainage.
In this respect, Hajiji urged all MTPNg committee members to take heed of this, and do the necessary to make sure all the projects run smoothly. 
“There should be no more excuses of waiting for approval from the federal (government) as the reason for projects being delayed. The rakyat and the government will be on the losing end if there is a delay in implementing approved projects,” he said.
Hajiji also urged the various department heads and district officers to realise the zero hardcore poor agenda by the end of this year, as mooted by Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
“I want all district officers to go down the ground and verify the details of those categorised as hardcore poor in their respective areas. We want their actual status to be recorded,” he said.
— BERNAMA