Minister: RM23 mln housing project for villagers of erosion-hit Kpg Bunga Rampai

KUCHING: Residents of the erosion-hit Kampung Bunga Rampai, located near the banks of Sungai Sarawak Kiri, will be relocated to a new housing area to be built by the state government.

Housing Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg said a site located on a higher ground near the present village had been identified for this project, which would cost around RM23 million.

“It will comprise terraced houses complete with utilities such as electricity and water (supply), as well as road accessibility. It would be developed in stages, with the first stage involving construction of 80 houses, followed by another 80 in the second stage; so altogether, (there will be) 160 houses, including those for future families.

“We will set up a committee to oversee this project, which will be headed by the elected representative for this area, Bengoh assemblyman Datuk Dr Jerip Susil,” he told reporters during a ‘ Ramah T amah Aidilfitri’ at the village near here recently.

Abang Johari said he chose to come personally to the village for the gathering to honour a promise made to Kampung Bunga Rampai headman Rafa- ee Ahmad, who had raised the issues affecting the villagers during a ‘Grassroots Leadership Seminar’ conducted earlier this year.

The minister said he brought along several officials from the Housing Development Corporation ( HDC), so that they could have better understanding about the issues faced by the villagers’.

“Together with the village committee and Land and Survey Department, we will work out the details (to make the housing project a reality),” he said.

Adding on, Abang Johari highlighted the project as corresponding to the aspiration of Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem, who wanted to focus on more rural development across the state.

“We in the Barisan Nasional ( BN) are not like Parti Roket (DAP). In the last State Legislative Assembly sitting, they ( DAP) opposed the proposed additional budget of RM500 million slated for rural development.

“They have opposed our move to develop the rural areas – yet they have their own ‘Impian Sarawak’ programme to go rural,” he said.

Meanwhile, Dr Jerip stressed that the Kampung Bunga Rampai folk who were affected by the erosion must be relocated soon.

On the other hand, Rafa-ee hoped that the housing project would materialise soon, adding that he and his fellow villagers would not mind paying low instalments for the new houses.

On the minister’s reciprocating his request, the village headman said this was the second time that Abang Johari had come to officiate at the ‘Ramah Tamah Aidilfitri’. The first was in 1998.

Later, Abang Johari and Dr Jerip pledged allocations for the village’s kindergarten.