Most Efficient Award for Tuaran Council
KOTA KINABALU: The Tuaran District Council (TDC) has won the 2014 Most Efficient Local Authority (PBT) Award for endorsing development plan approval.
The award is given by the Sabah Housing and Real Estate Developers Association (Shareda) through responses from a survey by its members who voted on it.
TDC chairman Encik Abdul Mohd Ibnu bin Abdul Kadir Baba, who is also the Tuaran District Officer, received the award from Shareda president Datuk Francis Goh at the Shareda Nite held on Friday.
The presentation was witnessed by Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Hajiji Haji Noor who represented the Chief Minister as guest-of-honour at the dinner, as well as the organising chairman Ben Kong who is also Shareda secretary-general.
“It only took TDC less than six months to process a development plan including securing the ultimate approval from the Central Board.
“The approval of development plans has always been an old issue in Sabah. But if TDC can do it within six months, I don’t see any reason why other PBT cannot do the same?” he asked.
He cited that some PBT took up to 24 months to process a Development Plan allocation.
“This translates into losses to developers in terms of holding cost and opportunity cost, not to mention the possibility that developers end up with land on which they are not allowed to develop.
“Let me explain. When a developer buys a piece of land, he pays 10% deposit. and must make full payment in six months.
“In that six months he submits his Development Plan (DP). If the DP approval is delayed and he cannot launch his project, he loses. If for some reason the Central Board rules that the development is not allowed on the land, he loses even more,” he pointed out.
Meanwhile, Goh also congratulated the Ministry of Local Government and Housing headed by Hajiji for obtaining a four-star rating for the first time from the National Audit Department for Financial Accountability for 2013.