SPAOH: Quaint Spaoh town is to get a facelift through development projects costing more than RM30 million.
They include a new bridge crossing Sungai Spaoh, sub-district office building, Spaoh Waterfront Beautification programme, a sports complex and a communication tower in Luban.
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas announced these at a Chinese New Year gathering here on Friday night organised by the Spaoh Tiong Hua Association.
He said the Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg would launch them on March 11, the date he is expected to begin his two-day working visit to Betong Division.
Discussions would be held to build new shoplots to replace the nine destroyed by fire on the eve of the Chinese New Year celebration, Uggah added.
Uggah also said an incubation centre to train agropreneurs would be built here as well.
He said these projects proved that the GPS state government was not neglecting rural areas in its efforts to bring progress and prosperity state-wide.
“We are especially confident the incubation centre will be the starting point to train and produce more agropreneurs.
“We want the rural folk to have better and stable sources of income through using their land,” he said.
Uggah, who is also Bukit Saban assemblyman, called on the people here and in Betong town to turn up in full force to welcome to Abang Johari.
He said since becoming the chief minister Abang Johari had come up with 65 initiatives to help improve the lot of the people.
More benefits would be enjoyed if they continued to support GPS government in the next state election, he said.
At the function, Uggah, accompanied by his wife Datin Amar Doreen Mayang, and a political secretary to the chief minister, Dr Richard Rapu, announced government grants totalling RM215,000 to various associations and SJKC Spaoh.
The amount included RM40,000 for the Spaoh shop fire victims.
Betong MP Datuk Robert Lawson Chuat who was present also gave RM40,000 to the fire victims.
