Housing and Local Govt Ministry to introduce Meranti Award

KOTA KINABALU: The Housing and Local Government Ministry (KKTP) will introduce the Meranti Award in September this year to give appreciation and recognition to local authorities (PBT) in an effort to improve the development and sustainable management of green areas, open spaces and planned landscaped areas.

Deputy Chief Minister II and KKTP Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Joachim Gunsalam said this is to fulfill the development function that has a positive impact on the community, urban environment and urban biodiversity in the state.

According to him, the Meranti Award criteria include PBT initiatives in developing and upgrading public parks towards sustainable planning, community awareness programmes towards a sustainable environment, planning recognition initiatives for PBTs and planning PBT engagement programmes that support the direction of KKTP.

“Through the ministry’s action plan under this policy, the plans for the green initiatives will continue to be strengthened.

“This initiative is in line with the Sabah State Landscape Policy which outlines the direction to ensure the development of a quality state landscape, orderly with distinctive landscape architecture and a preserved environment, and prioritising the development of a functional and green landscape,” he said when speaking at the launching ceremony of the i-HIJAU Festival Programme: Towards the Sabah Green Code at the Sabah International Convention Center (SICC) on Tuesday.

According to Joachim, the festival is a platform involving all agencies under the State Government and related stakeholders to jointly provide collective action for the sake of maintaining the sustainability of the environmental landscape in this state.