Waterfront city giving planners a headache
By : Rosli Zakaria
KUALA TERENGGANU: The urbanisation process at the Waterfront Heritage City here needs more than just an artist's impression of a changing skyline and money.
According to Menteri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said, it involved the relocation of residents in several traditional villages in the city area and buying over land for high-rise buildings for these residents.
He said it was a costly affair and a headache for city planners, as buying over land owned by individuals could become a sensitive subject if the price was not right or varied too much within the same area.
"These problems must be overcome before we start pro-commercial projects that expand the local economy or encourage investors to consider setting up regional offices here.
"It is tough to get the people to see the purpose and vision of an urbanisation programme. There is fear among landowners as they will lose their possessions and they don't mind living in cramped, fire-prone villages.
"Villages in the city centre also have a high incidence of dengue and the living conditions in some areas are unhygienic.
"It is a balancing act to get the most out of urbanisation and still keep the population in the same locality in new high-rise dwellings without burning a hole in their pockets," he said.
"We do not want to push existing residents out of the city centre. We want them to stay here and take advantage of the economic opportunities that come along with the urbanisation.
"Of course, there will be more space for business and more green lungs. The idea is to project Kuala Terengganu as a livable place and the safest city in the country."
Ahmad said that the government had recently spent RM6 million to buy a piece of land owned by the State Islamic and Malay Customs Council to build flats to relocate residents whose land will be affected by development.
"We have spent RM70 million to buy the land owned by the villagers. It is expensive but it is something that must be done if urbanisation is to become a reality."
NST Online
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