KLCI falls to below 1,540 as global stocks retreat
Tan Chong to see better 2H, says ED
MPHB proposes demerger of gaming, non-gaming units
HSL 1Q net profit up 10.86% to RM19.69m
TSH projects capex up to RM1b over next 5 years
Rafidah tells unions not to block efficiency measures
World wheat bounty at risk
Categories
| RM20b to clean up Klang River |
| Politics & Government 2009 | |||
| Written by Yong Min Wei | |||
| Monday, 09 March 2009 23:24 | |||
|
He said the immediate benefit of the project would be to provide business to companies and jobs for the people as the river together with its many tributaries was over 250km long. "The utilisation of civil equipment like cranes and the number of employees working on the project would create a spin up to the Selangor economy," he told The Edge Financial Daily in an interview recently. Khalid said cleaning the river did not only mean widening parts of it but also involved water retention activities, speed control of the flow and the landscaping. According to him, the clean-up alone may cost some RM10 billion, but in the long run could enhance the tourism industry through the development of riverside cafes and restaurants as well as recreational activities. "There are various options to implement the project. We can work with the federal government or have private funding initiative through Asian Development Bank or other international development agencies," he pointed out. The menteri besar said the state government had also been approached by parties from China and Taiwan to be the main initiator in the project on the condition that they be given the opportunity to own the real estate land along the river. "(Land beside) Klang River is the most populated in the industrial sense as well as in terms of housing and infrastructure. It also interestingly passes the federal capital," he said, adding that success in cleaning the particular river would spearhead the cleaning of other rivers in the state. The Selangor state executive council had last Wednesday announced a economic stimulus package for the state that identified five major areas that were paramount to its economic development. The state said the five major areas were expected to create an investment of above RM50 billion and more than 150,000 jobs. They include the cleaning and rehabilitation of the Klang River, expanding the transportation system, upgrading and replacing of water assets, urban renewal activities, and revival of abandoned housing projects. Touching on the expansion of transportation, Khalid who is also Ijok assemblyman, said the state planned to reduce the 90:10 private to public transportation ratio to 50:50 in the future. He said public transportation in Selangor must be adequate and as such it planned to have a "one-hour public transportation model" which would see people going to any part of the state within an hour. Khalid wants the light-rail transit (LRT) system linked to Klang and Kajang as well as well as to have LRT access to northern parts of Selangor to as far as Kuala Kubu Baru. "A consolidated public transportation system would enable the population in the state to be spread well away from the city centre and enhance the quality of life of Selangorians," he said, noting that Kuala Lumpur would not have bear the agony of traffic congestion should the system be successful. Khalid said the state also aimed to expand its existing transportation systems to serve more areas in Selangor in a concerted manner, ensuring more buses and taxis were connected to central railway hubs. "We have to collaborate with the LRT and bus operators, and I think they will be interested as there is supply," he added. He added that it was also looking towards working with the federal government to propose a state-level bus system to coordinate with existing transport providers.
|
|||
|
|