KENINGAU: Flyover construction projects to ease heavy traffic congestion are among priority plans to improve the quality of life of people in Keningau.
The other proposal was to establish an inland port that would open up a direct export route out from Keningau without having to go through Kota Kinabalu city, said Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan.
Kitingan, who was defending the Keningau parliamentary seat in GE15, said that he would see to it that Keningau would get allocations for these proposed developments.
"One of the biggest problems in Keningau is traffic congestion. We can either build a ring road or construct flyovers," he said in his speech during a dinner with leaders of the Chinese community here, Monday (Nov 14).
He said either solution would bring a huge relief to road users in the district who often get stuck for miles during peak hours.
Kitingan said he also hopes to find ways to give Keningau a character of its own.
"I’ve been thinking how we can boost development in Keningau since we are far from the sea."
"What I have in mind is that we can do an inland port so that we won’t have to export our produce via Kota Kinabalu," he said.
He acknowledged that Keningau’s vast area offers huge potential for agriculture-based economic activities.
In relation to this, Kitingan said the district’s potential in the agriculture industry offers an enormous opportunity for the community to participate in the economic value chain through agriculture-based downstream activities.
Other than agriculture, he said Keningau also offers huge potential in tourism development.
He also noted that the stretch of long and linear highway between Apin-Apin to the town centre is a unique feature of the district and could be exploited for the development of a "linear city."
This, he said, would help open up a business opportunity for the community, especially villagers.
"Hopefully, when Keningau becomes more developed, it can be elevated to a municipality," he said.
