Mustapa, who is also Kelantan BN chairman, said Kelantan had never received such a high amount under the earlier five-year Malaysia Plans.
“This shows the commitment of the Federal Government to develop Kelantan so that more infrastructure is made available for the benefit of the people,” he said when debating the motion of thanks for the royal address at the State Assembly sitting.
Mustapa, who is also the MP for Jeli and international trade and industry minister, said the huge allocation was for such projects as the construction of the Kota Bharu-Kuala Krai Highway, central spine road from Kuala Krai to Mentara, Gua Musang, expansion of the Sultan Ismail Petra Airport in Pengkalan Chepa, and flood mitigation projects for the deltas of Sungai Kelantan and Sungai Golok.
Other projects were the construction of hospitals for Kuala Krai and Bachok, a Maktab Rendah Sains Mara college, and rural projects like kampung roads throughout the state, he said.
He said he hoped the Federal Government could widen the East-West Highway, which links Gerik in Perak to Jeli, as requested by the Sultan of Kelantan, to reduce fatal accidents on the highway which crosses the Main Range.
Mustapa also took to task certain quarters for still accusing the Federal Government of sidelining Kelantan’s development.
Meanwhile, Kelantan Opposition chief Nozula Mat Diah (BN-Paloh) said the Federal Government had built 416 permanent homes for flood victims who lost their homes after the flood disaster that hit the state in 2014.
He said 287 more houses were under construction and another 229 at the pre-construction stage.
He was disputing figures provided by State Exco Ab Fattah Mahmood who was replying to an oral question from Mohamad Awang (PAS-Gual Periok) stating that the state government had built 497 houses whereas the Federal Government had built only 256 (for flood victims).
Nozula said the Federal Government took its own initiative to build cluster homes for the victims because land alienated by the state government was unsuitable, like at hilly areas, where the cost of providing infrastructure would have been much higher than the cost of building the houses.
The assembly sits again tomorrow.
– BERNAMA