NEWS & UPDATES
UKAS Visits Murum HEP
KUCHING, MAY 2, 2014: A 20-member delegation comprising the Public-Private Partnership Unit (UKAS) in the Prime Minister’s Department, other Federal agencies and the Regional Corridor Development Authority (RECODA) visited the Murum HEP recently.
The visit, on April 23, was an educational tour for the delegation in which they were briefed by Project Director Frankie Chin and his team on the Murum HEP development including its resettlement exercise.
After the briefing, they were given a tour around the dam site which included the dam crest, spillway, Ecological Power System (EPS) and power house.
The visitors were impressed with the progress and on-going works at the dam especially with the infrastructure and facilities provided under the resettlement exercise.
There were a number of queries particularly on the resettlement programme which the delegation felt Sarawak Energy was implementing on the right track.
They acknowledged that the resettlement programme put in place, tackled main concerns like basic infrastructure, amenities, education for both adult and child and the villagers’ health concerns.
The delegation admitted this was not an easy feat as it would take some time to get the people to settle into their new environment and experience the sustainable benefits that come from this.
Aside from the compensation package, the villagers are given continuous assistance to help them adapt to their new life. This includes initiatives such as the Home Garden Programme, which is a collaboration between the Ministry of Agriculture and Sarawak Energy, and the Murum Penan Literacy programme. These various community development programmes were meant to give the people there an equal access to development.
The delegation expressed their gratitude to Sarawak Energy for welcoming and allowing them to visit the Murum HEP.
Leading the delegation was Dato’ Badaruddin Bin Mahyudin, UKAS Deputy Director-General (Policy) accompanied by RECODA’s CEO Datuk Amar Wilson Baya Dandot and senior officials from JKR and Sarawak Energy. Among those from Sarawak Energy were; Alvin Lim, General Manager Planning & Strategy and Kueh Lak Tee, Senior Manager, Hydro Owner’s Project Management.
UKAS’s mission is to drive economic transformation through strategic public-private partnership based on integrity, innovation and value for money principle for the well being of the people.
Prior to this, the visitors attended a briefing on the progress of Murum road by JKR at its site office at the junction of Bakun/Murum road.
