JERLUN: A proposal to install guardrails and streetlights along Jalan Sungai Korok in Jitra, where a recent tragedy claimed the lives of six family members, will be looked into, says Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (pic).
The Deputy Prime Minister said he had been briefed by the Public Works Department (JKR) on infrastructure upgrades for the road, which connects Jitra to Jerlun.
“We will discuss with JKR the installation of guardrails along the riverbank. I will look into installing streetlights in the area as well as other poorly lit locations.
“As the chairman of the Cabinet Committee on Road Safety and Traffic Congestion, I will inform the relevant ministers for immediate action to be taken,” he told reporters after visiting Putri Qisya Nur Izzat Mohamad Azim at Kampung Bohor Karang yesterday.
The 12-year-old is the eldest daughter of Mohamad Azim Izat Ishak, 32, and Nurul Hidayah Khadijah Razman Efendi, 31, who perished along with their four children when their car plunged into Sungai Korok on Saturday.
Ahmad Zahid said Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) will support Putri Qisya’s education all the way to the university level.
“MRSM (Mara Junior Science College) is ready to accept her next year, and her grandmother has agreed to enrol her.
“All necessary assistance will be provided, and we will do our best to secure her future,” he said.
Earlier in Kangar, the Deputy Prime Minister said the proposed University of Kuala Lumpur Asia Sustainable Transportation Institute (UniKL-ASTI) in Lembah Chuping will become a key component in the logistics development ecosystem under the Northern Corridor Economic Region.
He said the university campus, to be developed next to the Perlis Inland Port, will position the state as a new strategic logistics hub in the northern region of the country.
The campus will offer various high-impact Technical and Vocational Education and Trai-ning (TVET) diploma and degree programmes such as heavy vehicle maintenance technology, lifting equipment management and MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) technology.
“The establishment of UniKL-ASTI is a meaningful and strategic move not only for Perlis, but also for the national education and logistics landscape.
“I am confident this industry-orientated approach will not only produce competent TVET graduates ready to enter the job market but also directly contribute to the economic growth of the state and the nation,” he said at the groundbreaking ceremony for the UniKL-ASTI, which was officiated by the Raja of Perlis, Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Jamalullail, Bernama reported.
