KOTA KINABALU: Two bungled development projects at Sabah’s top tourism attractions – Mount Kinabalu and Pulau Sipadan – have prompted the state to order all works in tourism and eco-sensitive areas to be referred to the state Cabinet.
Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman, who put a stop yesterday to attempts to revive the abandoned restaurant-cum-rest house project on Mount Kinabalu, said the state Cabinet was not aware of the projects in both Kinabalu and Sipadan, which are under the jurisdiction of Sabah Parks.
“I have ordered that all projects undertaken in tourist and eco-sensitive areas be referred to the Cabinet for approval, even if it costs just a few million ringgit,” he told reporters after chairing the Sabah Development Action Council meeting here.
“We (the state Cabinet) want to know what the project is about, how it will be done and the capability of contractors before any approval is given in areas that are ecologically sensitive.
“We do not want irreparable damage to our heritage sites,” he said when commenting on the abandoned RM4.35mil project near Carson’s Camp on Mount Kinabalu.
The project, which started in 2003, was approved by the federal Tourism Ministry and implemented by the Federal Development Department in Sabah.
The contractor was sacked after failing to complete the project within the two-year period given.
Musa said he had asked the parties involved to brief the state Cabinet on the matter so that a decision could be made whether to go ahead or scrap the project.
He said if such projects had been referred to the Cabinet, incidents like that in Sipadan where a barge carrying construction material for a RM5mil toilet and sewage project damaged coral reefs off the eco-sensitive island last month could have been avoided.
Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman, who put a stop yesterday to attempts to revive the abandoned restaurant-cum-rest house project on Mount Kinabalu, said the state Cabinet was not aware of the projects in both Kinabalu and Sipadan, which are under the jurisdiction of Sabah Parks.
“I have ordered that all projects undertaken in tourist and eco-sensitive areas be referred to the Cabinet for approval, even if it costs just a few million ringgit,” he told reporters after chairing the Sabah Development Action Council meeting here.
“We (the state Cabinet) want to know what the project is about, how it will be done and the capability of contractors before any approval is given in areas that are ecologically sensitive.
“We do not want irreparable damage to our heritage sites,” he said when commenting on the abandoned RM4.35mil project near Carson’s Camp on Mount Kinabalu.
The project, which started in 2003, was approved by the federal Tourism Ministry and implemented by the Federal Development Department in Sabah.
The contractor was sacked after failing to complete the project within the two-year period given.
Musa said he had asked the parties involved to brief the state Cabinet on the matter so that a decision could be made whether to go ahead or scrap the project.
He said if such projects had been referred to the Cabinet, incidents like that in Sipadan where a barge carrying construction material for a RM5mil toilet and sewage project damaged coral reefs off the eco-sensitive island last month could have been avoided.
Source: The Star
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