Big housing project plan for Tanjung Manis in Sarawak

MUKAH:  A big housing project is being planned for Tanjung Manis which is a part of the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) and the state's Halal hub as well. Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud said however that the state Land Custody and Development Agency (LCDA) had yet to confirm the details of the plan.

Speaking after a Raya Aidilfitri gathering at a hotel here, he said," We expect people from isolated and less developed areas in the Mukah Division to come to Tanjung Manis to look for job opportunities generated by the many industries associated with SCORE and the Halal Hub.

"We are ready to give them the short term training needed to seek permanent employment," he said.
He said the job opportunities, new housing project and better infrastructure could elevate them from poverty, improve their quality of life and provide their children access to education.  

He also announced that the government would be spending RM1 billion for water supply from Sibu to Tanjung Manis.

"We have already spent about RM500million to implement basic infrastructures. A second coal fired power station, capable of generating more than 600KW of energy in Mukah and this project are expected to take off by next year," he elaborated.

Taib said it was imperative that adequate power was always available to meet the heavy industrial needs in Tanjung Manis and added that another 80kw power station would also be constructed by 2013.

He said with the many developments and investments coming into Tanjung Manis and the expected influx of workforce, local folks should change from their traditional cottage industry food production and go into modern methods. -- Bernama