One-Stop Centre In Every ECER State - PM

January 13, 2009 21:06 PM

One-Stop Centre In Every ECER State - PM

BENTONG, Jan 13 (Bernama) -- An East Coast Economic Corridor one-stop centre will be set in every state and another centre in the federal capital to facilitate investors to get information on the progress of ECER projects and to enable them to make applications to invest in the economic corridors.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the one-stop centres would serve as a liaison centre for existing and potential investors to smoothen their investment procedures and ECER development.

"With the operational of the centres, investors need not go to the Treasury, the Economic Planning Unit in the Prime Minister's Department, the federal administrative centre in Putrajaya and other places to get information and make applications.

"The one-stop centre will be set up in Kuala Lumpur soon and in the ECER states -- Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and Johor," he told reporters after chairing the ECER Development Council meeting here on Tuesday.

On the progress of ECER projects, the prime minister said up till the Mid-Term Review of the Ninth Malaysia Plan, the ECER had identified 107 projects involving investments worth RM2.6 billion.

Of the total, 48 projects started last year, 29 will begin middle of this year, 22 will be implemented before end of this year while the remaining eight projects early this year, he said.

"I am very satisfied with the progress and the running of the ECER because of the good cooperation received from all the state governments involved, including Kelantan which is under the opposition rule.

"All the states are cooperating very well," he said.

Asked whether ECER projects would be stopped in view of the current economic uncertainties, Abdullah said the projects were progressing smoothly and would not be stopped.

"The projects must be continued as they are part of the government's initiatives to eradicate abject poverty in the states concerned.

The projects will open job opportunities for the locals residing in and around the economic corridors," he said.

"The government is confident that projects under the ECER such as the agropolitan, tourism, homestay and permanent food production park will yield direct benefits to boost the income of the hardcore poor," he added.

-- BERNAMA