Tg Aru upgrade will see rival to Mengkabong: YB
Sabah Daily Express
Kota Kinabalu: The Federal Ministry of Tourism is now in the process of selecting a contractor to undertake the RM10 million Kampung Tanjung Aru Lama beautification project – the first of a two-phase project whose overall cost is RM40m.
Assistant Minister of Local Government and Housing, Edward Yong Oui Fah, hoped the project would help Tanjung Aru become a tourist spot that would not only boost the image of the locality but also provide for side income for the residents.
He was speaking after officiating at the re-commissioned junior block of the Seri Mengasih School, a school for special children, at Tanjung Aru, here, Thursday.
Yong, who is also Tanjung Aru assemblyma, said Kampong Tanjung Aru Lama has the potential to upgrade itself into a beautiful water village like the one in Mengkabong, which is a favourite tourist destination.
“The tender for the project has been closed and the Ministry is making the decision (selection of contractor), which will be in a few months.
“Phase One of the project is expected to be completed within 24 months of commencement. Among other things, it would see the construction of a new drainage system, handicraft shops and concreting of the water village’s wooden gangplanks ” he said.
Asked if residents at the area would have to make way for the project, Yong said those who have their own lots could stay and that their homes can, in fact, be improved to become homestays to generate side income.
“Those without their own lots might be asked to move,” he said, adding there are about 200 houses at Tanjung Aru Lama.
Phase Two of the project is also in the pipeline at Kampung Tanjung Aru Baru, covering areas from the Tanjung Aru Mosque up to the Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort, Yong said.
“This project would cost more than RM10 million,” he said.
The two-phase project was first announced by Mayor Datuk Iliyas Ibrahim last October, with the first phase expected to begin in January this year.
Iliyas had said the implementation of the project had to be carried out in two phases due to physical constraints such as squatters and funding.
Iliyas said the project was mooted at a meeting of the Economic Development Unit under the Prime Minister’s Department in November 2002 with the aim of upgrading and turn the existing water village into a tourist attraction with some elements of sustainability in the long run.
Iliyas had warned village heads not to take advantage of the situation by permitting new houses to be constructed in their respective areas.
Action would be taken against those who illegally build houses in their respective areas after the announcement was made.
Earlier, in his speech, Yong urged parents and the community to lend a hand to schools for special children.
He said their support would go a long way in helping special children because they have the abilities to be independent and productive in society.
The school’s Director, Cecilia Thane, recorded her thanks to Yong for his help in improving the worn foundation and other structures of the school’s junior block.
“Altogether, the are 128 students in the school, who are divided into the junior, senior and vocational levels, depending on their skills and age,” she said.
The students also entertained the guests with several Chinese cultural performances, after which they were handed ang pows and goodies by Yong.
