Five sub-committees to prepare list of NRDA projects

KUCHING: Five subcommittees would be established towards preparing a list of development projects and socioeconomic programmes for the Northern Region Development Agency (NRDA) area.

The committees would be led by assemblymen for Limbang and Lawas, as well as Limbang Resident.

It is learnt that Deputy Chief Minister III Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, who is also NRDA chairman, announced the establishment of these subcommittees during the NRDA board meeting here on Friday.

For the record, Awang Tengah is also the Minister of Industrial and Entrepreneur Development, and Second Minister of Urban Development and Natural Resources.

The NRDA is one of the three development agencies established under Regional Corridor Development Agency (Recoda) – the other two are the Highland Development Agency (HDA) headed by Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas; and the Upper Rajang Development Agency (Urda) chaired by Deputy Chief Minister II Tan Sri James Jemut Masing.

The establishment of NRDA was endorsed by the Recoda board during its ninth meeting on March 15 this year.

NRDA was set up to accelerate the development in Sarawak’s northern region like overseeing the infrastructure, industrial (commercial, and small and medium enterprises, or SMEs) and power development, to tap the economic potential and rich biodiversity resources, and to elevate the socio-economic status of communities especially those in the rural areas in terms of human capital and technical education.

The meeting also focused on what was being planned and implemented by the Sarawak government in the northern area as baseline information to enable the board to come up with a more comprehensive development blueprint.

During the meeting, the NRDA board was also briefed by various agencies namely the Sarawak State Attorney General’s Chambers, State Planning Unit, Land and Survey Department, Department of Agriculture, Department of Veterinary Services and Sarawak Energy Bhd.

Limbang MP Hasbi Habibolah, Assistant Minister of Agriculture and Bukit Kota assemblyman Dr Abdul Rahman Ismail, Batu Danau assemblyman Paulus Palu Gumbang, and Recoda chief executive officer Datu Ismawi Ismuni were among those attending the board meeting.