BINTULU: Six out of the eight projects costing some RM39.285 million under the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP) in this division have been fully completed by the Bintulu Development Authority (BDA).

In revealing this, BDA general manager Mohidin Ishak said the other two projects were in progress and estimated to cost some RM9 million.

According to him, BDA has spent a sum of RM30 million on the six completed projects.

He said the six projects were the waste treatment plant (RM10 million), landscaping and beautification (RM2 million), clearing of areas for development of the new Samalaju township (RM2 million), construction of new commercial centres and the bus terminal (RM3 million), infrastructural works in rural areas (RM10 million) and the on-going construction of Jalan Tanjung Batu to Pantai Kidurong (RM6 million).

Mohidin said this after the signing ceremony of a contract agreement for the decommissioning and diversion of the existing oxidation ponds and associated works here between BDA and Pembinaan Kuantiti Sdn Bhd, costing RM8.9 million, held at the BDA auditorium in Wisma Bintulu, Tanjung Batu.

The contractor was represented by its managing director, Mohd Firdaus Abdullah and the project co-ordinator, William Lu.

Mohidin added that the contract was for an 18-month period completion and the scope of works included site clearing and earthworks, sewer reticulation, manholes and pump stations, screen chamber, demolition of existing lifts stations, manholes, piling works and mechanical and electrical works.

The three existing oxidation ponds are the ones in Sommerville Villa Park, Taman Jason and Taman Li Hua along the Bintulu-Miri road, and they will be channelled straight to the new and bigger oxidation and waste treatment ponds located along the North-South road.

The three ponds would then be closed and to be developed as a green area later on.

On the two projects which are still on-going, Mohidin said they are construction of the drainage systems and eradication of poverty programme under the Ministry of Rural Development and Territory.

Meanwhile, he said among the projects implemented by BDA under the Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities included the downstream cluster industries for oil palm (Palm Oil Industrial Cluster – POIC) costing RM50 million, and some RM27 million had already been allocated to those directly involved in the implementation of the project.

“We are also calling for another tender amounting to RM23 million for the completion of the said POIC project,” he added.

The government had also allocated a sum of RM300 million for the implementation of projects under the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (Score) in Bintulu.

“Clearing works at the site in Samalaju are in progress right now and we have spent RM10 million for the works last year,” continued Mohidin.

He assured that BDA would continue to play its part for the implementation of projects for the Ministry of Urban Development and Tourism, among which was the construction of a sewerage reticulation system that linked the shophouses to Tanjung Batu costing some RM10 million.

Mohidin stressed that there are eight more projects to be implemented between this year and 2010 involving a cost of RM90 million.

He also hoped more project development here would generate better economic activities for Bintulu.