Govt has spent RM2.7bil from 2015 to develop Kelantan projects

KOTA BARU: The Federal Government has spent RM2.7bil to develop various forms of infrastructure in Kelantan since 2015, says Kelantan Federal Action Council chairman Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed.

Mustapha, who is also International Trade and Industry Minister, said RM1.1bil was allocated to repair various infrastructure, such as hospitals, police stations, bridges and railway tracks damaged in the big flood of 2014.

“This is not in the Budget but under contingency projects of which many may not be aware,” he told reporters after chairing the council’s meeting at the Kelantan Federal Development Department (JPP) here yesterday.

Mustapha added that the remaining RM1.605bil was used for five state projects such as the RM430mil upgrade of the Sultan Ismail Petra Airport in Pengkalan Chepa into an international airport.

The expansion programme involved extending the runway by another 100m to 2.5km, a multi-level car park and the expansion of the airport surau.

“The project, which will begin in the first quarter of next year, is expected to increase the airport’s capacity to handle four million passengers compared to 1.5 million at present,” he said.

Mustapha said the other items included the flood mitigation project along 10km of the Sungai Kelantan basin at a cost of RM550mil.

He said another project was the construction of a federal department office complex costing RM530mil at an 11ha site in Bandar Baharu Tunjong here, starting next year and was expected to be completed by 2020.

“We have also allocated RM55mil for a main road expansion project as well as a heritage project in Kampung Laut, Tumpat, costing RM40mil.

“The heritage project will benefit Kelantan and could become a new tourist destination in the state, besides promoting small and medium industries in the village,” he said.

He said the implementation of these projects in Kelantan demonstrated that the Federal Government had been attending to the needs of the state seriously and did not marginalise it as had been claimed by certain irresponsible parties.

Also present were Deputy Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Senator Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki and Kelantan JPP director Datuk Makhtar Mustapha. — Bernama