Tepoh folk eagerly await Najib's visit

KUALA NERUS: The 7,000 people of 10 villages in Tepoh have been on a clean-up operation over the past week.
They want their homes and surroundings to look neat and clean during tomorrow's arrival of a VVIP - none other than Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak.
The villagers are looking forward to some benefit from the Prime Minister's visit.
Kuala Nerus development officer Datuk Basir Ismail said Najib was scheduled to launch the Bukit Nanas People's Housing Project (PPR) in Tepoh and visit the project site.
He said construction would begin immediately after the launch, signalling that these people of Terengganu would enjoy the residential facilities planned for them.
"This project comprises six four-storey buildings with 500 units of apartments. A commercial centre has also been planned to provide the residents the opportunity to do business.
"So far, a total of 7,000 applications have been received from people in the Kuala Nerus parliamentary constituency. They will be reviewed to select those who truly deserve to receive the homes," he said.
Basir said that as an individual who was always with the local community, he understood the desire of those who wanted to stay in their own homes, and that the state and federal governments' willingness to implement the PPR project was most welcomed.
According to him, the project is expected to be completed within two years, and the contractor is already working on it after getting the plans approved.
"I often go down to the villages to meet the residents. They always ask me when the project will take off. When they found out that the Prime Minister will be officiating it this Saturday, they likened it to a huge gift for them from the government," he said.
Among the villages in the area are Kampung Baru Tepoh, Kamapung Padang Hangus, Kampung Raja Tepoh and Kampung Padang Air.
Basir said the project was accorded top priority by the state government led by Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Razif Abd Rahman and the Federal Ministry of Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government.
Besides the residents of Tepoh, about 20,000 people from Terengganu are expected to gather in the area to welcome Najib.
The Prime Minister's visit to Kuala Nerus on May 23 last year gave a new lease on life to the fishermen there with the launch of the Kuala Nerus Aquapolitan Project.
The project, expected to be completed in 2020, houses a fisheries terminal, fish processing centres and restaurants which will be able to improve the income and living standards of fishermen plagued by poverty due to poor catches and price manipulation by middlemen.
The government investment of RM400 million in the area is also expected to bring a great transformation to the lives of the fishermen. — Bernama