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PRIME MINISTER'S DEPARTMENT
NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT AGENCY
13MP: Kuantan airport, Gebeng halal park and transportation among Pahang's focus
- Admin UKK
- Berita
KUANTAN: Enhancing public transportation connectivity, implementing flood mitigation efforts and providing comprehensive facilities to boost the halal sector are among the areas of focus emphasised by the Pahang government in the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) which begins next year.
State Agriculture, Agro-based Industry, Biotechnology and Education committee chairman Datuk Seri Mohd Soffi Abd Razak said the Pahang government has submitted their 'wishlist' covering a wide range of high-impact projects to be looked into by the Federal government.
"Pahang is rich in natural resources and has great potential to grow. The state's administration wants to fully utilise the available potential by ensuring that the planned development programmes and projects will have a positive impact on the people....road network and public transport are vital.
Transportation networks will open new economic and development opportunities across the country. Completing the Central Spine Road (CSR) between Kuala Krai, Kelantan, and Pelangai, Bentong, is crucial, helping to reduce traffic congestion and create jobs, he added.
"Pahang has the potential to attract new investments in the halal industry as Gebeng has been identified as an ideal location due to the presence of infrastructure facilities such as Kuantan Port and the soon to be completed East Coast Rail Link in the vicinity. The halal park will focus on various products, including food and beverages, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.
Meanwhile, Soffi said floods had resulted in losses amounting to billions of ringgit and measures to reduce the impact of floods through mitigation projects has to be prioritised in the 13MP.
"We should not allow the damages and losses(resulting from floods) to continue occuring," he told reporters here today.
Soffi had earlier represented Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail to attend the 13MP management engagement session between the Pahang government and Deputy Economy Minister Datuk Hanifah Hajar Taib here today.
The Pelangai dual-carriageway stretch was supposed to be part of the 306km CSR connecting Bentong and Kelantan but phase six of the stretch here was not part of the 12th Malaysian Plan resulting in the construction to end in Sertik, Bentong.
On the construction of the Kuantan international airport in Gebeng here, which was proposed under the 12th Malaysia Plan, Soffi said he hopes the proposal which got the nod from the National Physical Planning Council will be made a reality in the 13MP.
"Plans for an international airport have been included for the 13MP and I was told that the Federal government is looking at the involvement from the private sector to build the airport.
"The existing Kuantan airport (Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Airport) shares the runway with the air force so the construction of an international airport is vital," he said.
It was reported last year, that the Pahang government received proposals from private investors to build the new airport and were studying the matter. (https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2024/08/1092822/no-decision-yet-new-p...)
Meanwhile, Hanifah said Pahang was the last stop for the engagement sessions which began in October last year and has provided the ministry an opportunity to interact with various parties to hear feedback in formulating a more inclusive and effective plan.
"States across Malaysia have raised various proposals depending on several factors including geographical and economic needs of the respective state. The 13MP is not just a plan for the next five years (2026-2030) but to lay down the foundation for future planning," she said.