Tuaran rural roads to be upgraded with RM4.5mil allocation, says Hajiji

KOTA KINABALU: Tight rural roads in the Sulaman area under Tuaran district will be upgraded with a RM4.5mil allocation from the state government.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said this fund is to upgrade smaller roads with a distance ranging between 100m and 300m for the safety and convenience of road users.

"This is part of the efforts to upgrade the facilities and infrastructure of Sabah," he said at a programme with small traders in Tuaran on Saturday (Feb 3).

At the event, a total of 125 petty traders received RM5,000 assistance to run their businesses from the Sabah Economic Development and Investment Authority.

Hajiji - who is the authority's chairman - urged small traders to work hard to improve their livelihoods while assuring them that the state government is committed to bring down the hardcore poverty rate.

For now, there are over 22,000 hardcore poor families in the state, he said.

Hajiji revealed that the state administration had instructed all government-linked companies and agencies, as well as foreign and local investors operating factories in the state to hire workers from the hardcore poor community.

He said the state agencies and departments are also working together to help reduce the hardcore poverty rate.