MIRI: The state government has paid out over RM31.6 million in compensation for land acquired for nine infrastructural and development projects here and Marudi district.
These include a site for the new Miri city hall which cost RM22.1 million, and the improvement of the banks of Baram River (costing RM6.1 million).
The size of the Marina Bay land for the city hall is 3.22 acres.
Thirty landowners received their cheques from Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan (also Second Minister of Urban Development and Environment) yesterday morning at Miri Land and Survey Department office at Wisma Pelita Tunku here.
“Land acquisition by the state is not free. We don’t simply take the land for no reason. Landowners must be paid fairly,” Tengah said.
“The land is meant to benefit the people. For example, the new city hall building is going to have a wide range of facilities and services for the people.”
He pointed out that this is in line with the Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg’s aspirations to develop Sarawak.
“Our CM is committed to greater development … and he is finding ways to boost the state’s revenue,” he said.
“We can’t totally depend on the federal government to fund our development projects. Several of our development projects that had been approved have been scrapped by the current federal government.”
However, all is not lost, he said, because the state government has taken over some of the scrapped projects by spending its own money.
“For water supply projects, the state government has allocated RM2.8 billion and RM2.3 billion for electricity projects especially in the rural areas,” he said.
“We want Sarawak to be well-developed and the people to benefit from the state’s abundant natural resources.”
On Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), he said the coalition understands the people’s aspirations because the members are local political parties.
As for Sarawakians who are in Pakatan Harapan (PH), he said they are bound to their Malayan masters.
Also present at the function were Sibuti Member of Parliament Lukanisman Awang Sauni, Marudi assemblyman Datuk Dr Penguang Manggil, Piasau assemblyman Datuk Sebastian Ting, and Miri Division Land and Survey Superintendent Arni Abdul Rahman.
