BENTONG: Reviving the toll-free Central Spine Road (CSR) through Simpang Pelangai here and turning Pelangai into a premier durian cultivation hub is top on the list of priorities for Barisan Nasional(BN) candidate Datuk Amizar Abu Adam.
The 50-year-old by-election candidate said the construction of the CSR connecting Simpang Pelangai, Pahang and Kuala Pilah, Negri Sembilan as something that was championed by the late assemblyman Datuk Seri Johari Harun.
"Datuk Seri Jo(Johari) had always spoken highly about the road project and its benefit for the people in Pelangai. I discussed it with the (Works) Ministry and was informed the project is already in their planning.
"I will certainly follow-up on the matter with the relevant agencies and make it my top priority in Pelangai. Not only to ensure the project gets back on track but monitor its progress until the road is full completely. That was Johari's struggle to provide comfort to road users and allow people in Pelangai to travel," he told reporters after visiting the Kampung Sungai Bot Orang Asli settlement here today.
The Pelangai stretch was supposed to be part of the 306km CSR connecting Bentong, Pahang, and Kota Baru, Kelantan but phase six of the stretch here was not part of the 12th Malaysian Plan resulting in the construction to end in Sertik, Bentong.
Last May, Johari urged the government to consider including the Pelangai stretch in the next federal Budget.
In 2021, former Works Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said the Bentong to Kuala Pilah stretch was already part of the Highway Network Development Plan and might be done in stages during the 13th or 14th Malaysia Plan.
Meanwhile, Amizar agreed that durians were commonly grown in various areas in Pelangai and had high potential to be turned into a popular agrotourism destination.
"Neatly planted and well-maintained durian orchards can be spotted along the Karak-Kuala Pilah road.....the entire stretch between Pelangai, Bentong and Raub offers some of the highest grade durians.
"I was informed that some of the durian trees found in Pelangai are more than 50 years old just like the famous Musang King durians grown in Raub. Maybe durian in Pelangai can become a hit with better promotion...the orchards here can certainly become popular among durian lovers," he said.
On his second week of campaign, Amizar said he will be visiting some areas in the constituency which the BN election machinery has yet to visit.
"I was informed there are some areas where the by-election candidates have yet to visit so I will make an effort to visit these areas with low population. It is vital for me to be on the ground and I must not miss meeting any voters before polling day," he said.
The Pelangai state seat by-election on Oct 7 is a three-cornered fight between Amizar, Perikatan Nasional's Kasim Samat and independent candidate Haslihelmy DM Zulhasli.