Kulai council head says planning must include stakeholder discussion on what the public needs
PUBLIC infrastructure projects must be better planned to ensure they are fully utilised and benefit the community, says Kulai Municipal Council (MPKu) president Mohd Hafiz Aliman.
He said the state government had poured substantial resources into ensuring completion of projects meant to improve public well-being.
“Currently, MPKu is actively carrying out various projects, including development, upgrading and maintenance works.
“However, I have noticed that some projects are rarely used by the public after completion; this should not be the case.
“We must avoid situations where completed projects become white elephants or are underutilised, especially considering the significant investment made by the government for such initiatives,” Mohd Hafiz said in his speech during the MPKu full board meeting.
He urged MPKu councillors and officers to take the matter seriously and ensure only projects that met public needs were carried out.
“It is important to plan carefully, so that only projects or infrastructure that are truly needed are proposed and implemented.
“We should use the planning stage of any project to bring together residents, councillors and officers to discuss and ensure it addresses real needs and delivers meaningful benefits to the community.
“This can help avoid situations where projects are requested, completed and then left unused,” he said.
On an unrelated matter, Mohd Hafiz said plans were underway to assess the need to widen several heavily congested roads in the district.
“Recently, Johor housing and local government committee chairman Datuk Mohd Jafni Md Shukor visited several areas in Kulai to check on the progress of some of our plans.
“Among areas given special attention was the Felda Taib Andak junction, to look into plans to widen the road to improve traffic flow and reduce bottlenecks at critical points.
“The Taman Cantik junction and Indahpura flyover were also visited to assess their current situation and find ways to reduce congestion,” he added.
