‘640 new projects to be implemented in S’wak next year’
KUCHING: The Local Government Ministry plans to implement 640 new projects next year, which would involve total funding of RM257 million, says its minister Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian.
According to him, these new projects would be commissioned by various local authorities across the state.
“Hopefully, we could implement all these new projects so that we don’t have to carry forward any of them. Actually, we are going to implement a total of 740 projects altogether, which will include 100 (projects) carried forward from last year (2016),” he told reporters after the presentation of government grants to 68 voluntary and nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) at SUPP headquarters here yesterday.
Dr Sim, who is also SUPP president, said a meeting was held in early yesterday to discuss the key result areas (KRAs), particularly on ensuring that every approved project would be implemented.
Additionally, he said his
Hopefully, we could implement all these new projects so that we don’t have to carry forward any of them. Actually, we are going to implement a total of 740 projects altogether, which will include 100 (projects) carried forward from last year (2016). — Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian, Local Government Ministry
ministry was also in the process of recruiting more personnel for all local councils in the state.
In this regard, his ministry had been given the greenlight to take in 426 new staff members, adding that it was on its way to recruit more after 139 vacancies had been filled.
“This is part of the state government’s initiative to overcome the shortage of manpower in local councils, and the ministry is looking at giving every council new staff members according to their needs,” he said.
Dr Sim said his ministry was also looking seriously into main complaints lodged by the public against the local councils.
He said the top three grievances were maintenance works on roads, drainage and landscaping.
“We’re not taking any of these complaints lightly. We will make sure that the maintenance of roads, drainage, trees and grasses within the jurisdiction of every local council is monitored,” he said.
On another matter, Dr Sim said his ministry had no plan to raise the assessment rate next year, despite experiencing a huge drop in revenues from this segment recorded by all local councils.
He acknowledged that such revenue decline was the result of the reduction in assessment rate as declared by the chief minister early this year.
“About 75 per cent of total ratepayers were paying either reduced rates or none at all, which resulted in the amount of assessment rate collected statewide to drop by about RM30.5 million,” he said.
In this respect, Dr Sim said the local councils would have to find ways to increase their revenues, but assured all that it would not involve the assessment rate.