GUA MUSANG: The Orang Asli community at Pos Tohoi and Pos Pulat here are hopeful that the Nenggiri hydroelectric project will provide them with many benefits, especially better roads and more job opportunities.
Pos Tohoi Orang Asli village security development committee chairman Ajeh Baharom, 50, said the settlement’s approximately 1,000 residents of the Temiar tribe have been aware of the project and have been anticipating relocation for the past 10 years.
He said the residents were promised a new settlement and looked forward to better facilities in the new location.
“The 237 families in the villages have known about the project for a long time and have been waiting for 12 years. We trust this matter can be implemented smoothly and completed as scheduled.
“And we hope the facilities in the new settlement will be better than in Pos Tohoi, with better roads, for example,” he told reporters at Pos Tohoi here, according to Bernama.
Resident Jenny Adik, 35, said he expected promises to be fulfilled and their housing to be ready as well.
“Hopefully, there will be more job opportunities for Orang Asli youth in the new place because they are very limited here. Many young people leave to seek employment outside,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ab Aziz Yusoff, the Nenggiri state seat incumbent from Barisan Nasional, said the hydroelectric dam project can be a catalyst for the area’s economic development and also enhance the economy of the Orang Asli community there.
“We hope that in addition to employment opportunities, there will be a town developed in the area when the Nenggiri dam is completed,” he said.
The RM5bil Nenggiri hydroelectric project is expected to be completed in 2026 and comprises a 53.84sq km main reservoir lake and a 0.97sq km flow regulation pool.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
