KOTA MARUDU: Fifty-one Native Title (NT) land grants totalling 98 hectares have
been approved for the people in Bandau here.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Hajiji Haji Noor said this shows that the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah – Barisan Nasional (GRS-BN) State Government was always
sensitive to people’s need.

“This is only for Bandau. We will be doing the same for the other constituencies in Kota
Marudu soon,” he said.

Speaking at the meet-the-people programme at the Community Hall here today, Hajiji
said the government also gave the nod for seven settlements inside Sawit Kinabalu
land here to be alienated and gazetted as kampung reserves.

These villages are Kampung Bukit Lalang, Bengkongan, Langkon Baru, Minansad, Sungoi Laut, Tonsom and Muhibbah, and Toporoi.

At the same time, two villages in Bandau constituency were also gazetted as kampung
reserves, namely Kampung Torintidon (11.490 hectares) and Kampung Asin-Asin
(10.190 hectares).

Hajiji who is also Finance Minister said the State Government also approved a RM5
million allocation to expand the dual roadway in the Kota Marudu township to ease
traffic congestion.

Meanwhile, the State Government has approved a 100-metre pipe bridge costing
RM1.6 million at Kampung Simpangan Sungai Bandau to address the water supply
problem in the district.

Hajiji said this after visiting the Bandau Water Treatment Plant at Kampung Simpangan
where he was briefed by the district engineer on short and long term plans to solve the
water supply woes.

“Hopefully, the infrastructure will help to address the water supply problem here,” he
said.

“I have spoken to Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Maximus Ongkili (Kota Marudu MP)
yesterday. I assured him that all requests for development will be considered,” he said.

Present were Special Tasks Minister Datuk Ariffin Arif, Assistant Minister to the Chief
Minister cum Bandau Assemblyman Datuk Wetrom Bahanda, Tandek Assemblyman
Hendrus Anding, District Officer Alexander Yong, Land and Survey Department
Director, Datuk Bernard Liew as well as Sawit Kinabalu Managing Director Datuk
Bacho Jansie.-pr/BNN