KAMPAR: Construction of a new district hospital will commence once the issue of land ownership has been resolved, according to A. Sivanesan, Perak health committee chairman.
Sivanesan stated that the state is currently in the process of reacquiring the land from the individuals involved, and hopes that these matters can be resolved in a timely manner.
“We are actively working on this issue and hope that it can be settled soon,” he remarked during a visit to the proposed location for the hospital project near Kampung Changkat Baru on October 2.
“The benefit here is that it can be settled quickly since the landowners have not yet constructed any buildings on the land.” Sivanesan explained, noting that the land was originally allocated by the state government for resettlement.
“According to Section 4 of the National Land Code, they can be given another plot of equal value,” he further added, mentioning that there are still 12 landowners left to resolve the matter with.
“We will expedite the process as much as possible. It is important to note that the federal government is concerned about the payment for the land, which will be managed by the state government,” he stated.
Sivanesan confirmed that the funding for the new hospital project has already been approved in the 2020 Budget by the former finance minister Lim Guan Eng in 2019.
“The funds are still available, and we already have the land. We can proceed with the construction,” he asserted, highlighting that the new hospital will be built on an 11.7-hectare piece of land.
Sivanesan also emphasized that the proposed site near Kampung Changkat Baru is ideal as it is centrally located between the three state constituencies of Tualang Sekah, Malim Nawar, and Keranji.
“The terrain is flat, and it is also close to the area of Gopeng, which currently lacks any hospital facilities. Additionally, it will also serve the people from Batu Gajah,” he concluded.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
