KOTA KINABALU: Federal development projects such as schools and clinics can be implemented without waiting for the land titles so long as the lands have been gazetted for the purpose, said Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
The Chief Minister said the state government decided on this to speed up such projects, which usually face delays.
“There is no need to wait for the land title as long as the land has been gazetted for federal development projects,” Hajiji said during his working visit to the Community Development and People’s Wellbeing Ministry here yesterday.
“If the land is needed to build schools or clinics, we must facilitate so that there is no delay in implementing these projects,” he added.
Hajiji has been unhappy over the rate of implementation of federal projects in Sabah since last year.
In July this year, he urged agencies responsible for implementing development projects in Sabah to speed up the troubleshooting of any obstacles.
The Chief Minister said this needs to be done to keep progress on these projects from being badly affected, citing 25 “sick” projects identified in the state.
These projects, out of the 1,218 currently in progress, include utility supply projects, schools, health facilities and public amenities that were not completed within the stipulated period.
Hajiji also urged the Community Development and People’s Wellbeing Ministry to engage with the relevant federal agencies in Sabah to enhance better cooperation to get the projects completed in time.
Hajiji said this in response to the issues raised by state Community Development and People’s Well-being Minister Datuk James Ratib.
He also commended the ministry for its proactive plan to improve the people’s well-being and health through the setting up of the Sabah Autism Centre in Sembulan here.
He praised the centre for the acquisition of the multi-million ringgit Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan and the Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) scan machines, among others.
The PET and SPECT scan machines for cancer detection are available at the Likas Children and Women’s Hospital here.
Earlier, the Chief Minister and his entourage were briefed by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary Datuk Maria Chong on its programmes and plans moving forward.
“I view the ministry as an important component in the government as the people’s prosperity is one of the focuses in the Sabah Maju Jaya development plan,” said Hajiji.
Also present were Deputy Chief Minister III and state Works Minister Datuk Shahelmey Yahya; state Finance Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun; state Rural Development Minister Datuk Jahid Jahim; state Tourism, Environment and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Christina Liew and State Secretary Datuk Seri Safar Untong.
