KUALA LUMPUR: More than five million rural folks have benefited under the National Key Result Areas (NKRA) Improving Rural Development through road facilities, clean water supply and electricity since 2010.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said overall the government had built over 4,553 kilometres of roads.
"It included the construction of a 60-kilometre road linking Pekan Sook to Kampung Sinua in Keningau, Sabah," he said at the launch of the 2014 Annual Report of the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) and Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) here tonight.
He said the construction of the road while providing convenient access to students from 18 schools in the area also helped facilitate the lives of at least 10 thousand Murut and Dusun residents.
In addition, 330,000 households are already enjoying clean water supply and nearly 130,000 others are enjoying uninterrupted power supply.
On Improving Urban Public Transport NKRA, the prime minister said the number of passengers commuting back and forth to Kuala Lumpur exceeded 455,000 every day, especially during peak hours.
With regard to the increase, bus services were improved with the introduction of the Rapid Bus Transit (BRT) Sunway Line managed by Prasarana Malaysia Berhad, which is expected to be completed in June.
"BRT service is the first in Malaysia and will facilitate 500,000 residents around Subang Jaya and Bandar Sunway," he said adding that people around Sri Petaling, Bukit Jalil and Puchong too will enjoy the convenience of an efficient public transport system when Phase 1 of the Ampang LRT Line Extension Project is fully completed in October this year.
The facility is expected to handle an increase in the number of daily passengers of about 130,000 people.
Najib said as of last year 38 six-coach parcels were added to the commuter train service, thus reducing the waiting time for train frequency from 30 to 15 minutes.
"All this shows that the government is not 'tight fist' or showed any discrimination when choosing construction sites, but gives priority to the people's interests and welfare," he said. --Bernama