Thursday, May 19, 2011

Santubong will become tourist destination with waterfront project

KUCHING: Areas surrounding Santubong village can expect more development to turn them into tourist attractions once the proposed Santubong waterfront is completed, said Santubong MP Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.

As such, to develop the said proposal critical soil protection in the vicinity of the village must upgraded at a huge cost.

He said for a start, the proposal to build the waterfront would include the upgrading of the existing retaining wall to withstand the strong waves.

“The erosion is critical and soil protection in these areas needs to be upgraded. In fact, areas in Santubong, Lundu, Sematan and Buntal have been identified as having critical erosions. We are seeking funds from the federal government to overcome them,” he said.

He said this after inspecting the area to be developed together with officers from Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) Putrajaya at kampung Santubong yesterday.

He said with an estimated cost of RM8 million, the project is expected to commence as soon as the plan is approved by DID.

“It will take about two to three years to complete.

“It doesn’t matter as we have been waiting for quite sometime for the place to be developed and now is the time,” he added.

He said once approved, the project will roll with RM1 million for a start.

“At the moment, we have RM3 million allocation, which is definitely not enough, and we will continue to ask for funds from the federal government.”

Wan Junaidi said he would seek aid from the state Tourism Ministry to spruce the whole area up.

The Santubong waterfront is expected to see a higher retaining wall, a 12 feet walkway on top, lighting at night and stalls for tourists to enjoy the night breeze.

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