BAGAN DATUK: Perak will soon to have another must-visit destination on its list, namely the state’s 12th district, Bagan Datuk.
State Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir during his meet-the-people in the district today said with endless adventures and a living treasure trove to explore, he gave his assurances that Bagan Datuk would be on top of the list of attractions in Perak.
From afar, visitors will be greeted by coconut trees lining the main road on their journey from Hutan Melintang to the Teluk Intan junction.
It is definitely a sight to behold as one travels towards Bagan Datuk, which is located about 40km from Teluk Intan.
“There are a lot of old buildings available in the district that needs to be renovated. These buildings can be a major boost to tourism industry if we retained and preserved them.
“I have also visited several areas during my meet-the-people programmes before, and I noticed that several facilities need to be improved.
“Bagan Datuk will also have a new landscape. We are at the stage of planning to build a riverfront here,” he said in a press conference after launching the state strategic cooperation plan at Dewan Hajah Tuminah here today.
Zambry added besides that, the state government is also aiming to build 48 small towns in the district.
“We are introducing these small towns so that the distribution of development can be felt not only in the urban areas but also in the rural areas.
“Until today, we have built 10 small towns, and another 10 small towns will be built by this year,” he said adding that the creation of these small towns would also create job opportunities as well as improve the local’s livelihood.
The 10 small towns that have been built in the state were Taman Trong Perdana, Pekan Amanjaya Ijok, Dataran Amanjaya Sauk, Dataran Amanjaya Lekir, Dataran Amanjaya Kubu Gajah, Dataran Amanjaya Manong, Dataran Amanjaya Gunung Semanggol, Dataran Amanjaya Simpang Lima and Dataran Amanjaya Bagan Datuk.
Four small town projects which in the midst of construction are Dataran Amanjaya Slim Village, Dataran Amanjaya Temoh, Dataran Amanjaya Bandariang and Dataran Amanjaya Changkat Jong. These projects are expected to be completed by June.
Zambry said on top of that, the state government was also concerned about the development of broadband infrastructure.
“We are currently cooperating with telecommunications companies to install communication towers in the district, as several areas here have very poor signal.
“This is one the crucial facilities that we need to highlight in Bagan Datuk. I believe the telecommunication towers will be installed soon in order to improve the coverage here,” he added.
On Jan 9, Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah had graced the proclamation of Bagan Datuk as the 12th district of the state. It marks the start of a transformation process for the district, which is known as one of the biggest coconut producers in Malaysia.