NORTHERN CORRIDOR IMPLEMENTATION AUTHORITY SETS RM7.5b INVESTMENT TARGET
It is based on initiatives announced by PM in 2018 Budget
TASNIM LOKMAN KUALA LUMPUR news@nst.com.my
THE Northern Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA) has targeted RM7.5 billion of private investments at the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER) for the manufacturing, services and agricultural sectors, its chief executive Datuk Redza Rafiq said.
The target, he said, was based on a number of initiatives NCIA had received.
The initiatives were announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak during the tabling of the 2018 Budget.
Redza said the development of the initiatives would be the main focus in southern Perak (Wilayah Perak Selatan — WPS), Special Border Economic Zones in Bukit Kayu Hitam, Pulau Pangkor and the upgrading of Langkawi and Penang international airports.
Southern Perak includes the Bagan Datuk Water City (BDWC), Next Generation (NexGen) Auto City, Perak Heavy Industries Park and Tapah EduCity.
It also includes Proton City, EduCity and Youth City in Tanjung Malim.
For WPS, Redza said, a Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) would be conducted to study public infrastructure and transportation, financial impact and projection, physical, economic and social development, while incorporating other development plans to ensure compliance with existing policies.
He said BDWC, located at a new development in Rungkup, was aimed at bringing together high-income residents, competitive business and a global lifestyle in southern Perak.
He said land acquisition and preliminary work, as well as studies were underway to establish a new engineered harbour city.
As for the NexGen Auto City, he said, NCIA envisioned it to be futuristic, applied auto research and commercialisation area that looked beyond the “bridging” hybrid era.
Redza said the Perak Heavy Industries Park would focus on integration production of iron and steel products, while the Tapah EduCity would place locally established or foreign-sourced institutions to improve the quality of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).
The Special Border Economic Zones in Bukit Kayu Hitam, Kedah, he said, comprised a Free Industrial Zone, Commercial Business District, as well as Inland port and railway spur line.
This, he said, would also be for movement of raw materials from Thailand, thus creating value-added economic activities in the region.
The third initiative for NCER was to transform Pulau Pangkor into a duty-free island, he said, adding that it would be declared via the Customs Act.
He said the duty-free status in the island excluded products such as alcoholic beverages, tobacco and motor vehicles. However, he said, taxis, motorcycles and energy-efficient vehicles were being proposed for exceptions.
As for the upgrading of the two international airports, he said the Langkawi airport would be upgraded to accommodate three million passengers per annum from 1.5 previously.
The airport will also become an international hub for AirAsia and have direct flights to Shenzhen and Guangzhou, China, as well as Singapore.
The Penang International Airport, he said, would be upgraded from 6.5 million passengers per annum to 12 million.
Redza said these projects had started, but each development would have its own timeline depending on its magnitude.