Arthur Kurup
KOTA KINABALU: A total of 657 small projects in Sabah has been fully completed with the payments amounting to RM22.25 million, said Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Economy), Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup.
He said some of the 703 small projects approved by the federal government for Sabah through the Economic Planning Unit with an allocation of RM29.48 million last year that was channelled through the Sabah Economic Development and Investment Authority as the implementing agency.
Arthur said the small projects implemented were village road repairs, upgrading of farm roads, building of suspension bridges, installing village water supply system, jetty repair works and drainage system maintenance.
“However, there are projects that are still being implemented with slight delays due to the enforcement of the Movement Control Order,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.
Arthur said the allocation provided could help the small contractors, especially the class E and F ones in the rural areas to lessen their financial burden, besides this being in line with the government’s policy of boosting economic activities.
He said implementation of the small projects also showed the federal government’s concern over the lack of infrastructure or those in need of repairs in Sabah, especially in the rural areas, towards improving the residents’ socio-economy.
“The government remains committed to overcoming these problems despite the on-going pandemic while facing a challenging economic situation with limited financial resources,” he added. – Bernama