PULAU MELAKA PROJECT REVIVED

Monday January 3, 2011

RM1.46b island project revived

MALACCA: It was a good start to the New Year for the state when the RM1.46bil Pulau Melaka twin reclaimed island project was revived after a decade of financial and legal woes.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said the state would start work on the abandoned project, off the coast of Bandar Hilir by September.

Among the works included are resolving issues faced by some 1,009 buyers who were left in a lurch when the project was abandoned several times since its launch in the mid-1996.

Beauty nearly wasted: A bird’s-eye view of the abandoned Pulau Melaka, off the straits of Malacca. The multi-billion ringgit project will finally resume by September this year.

The state took possession of the island project from the developers and won the case at the Court of Appeal on Dec 28.

“The state can finally proceed with reviving the project as those involved in the case will not appeal to the Federal Court,” he told reporters after a ceremony marking the state’s possession on the island here yesterday.

He said the project involved the construction of some 400 commercial shop lots comprising a total of 1,534 units.

Most of the development work on the island have been completed with 521 units completed out of the 612 under Phase I.

Another 598 units have been completed out of 726 units under Phase II, Mohd Ali said, adding that there were 160 units yet to be developed under Phase III.

He said the island would be managed by the State Economic Development Corporation and Chief Minister Incorporated with main contractors Kejuruteraan Asas Sdn Bhd completing work for the sewage treatment system.

The state would meet the affected buyers next month over the issue, Mohd Ali said.

“They can opt to continue with the purchase of their units or alternatively offer them to the state,” he added.

Covering some 40ha, the project was launched in mid-1996 by Pulau Berkembar Sdn Bhd Talam Bhd, a subsidiary of Talam Corporation Sdn Bhd but was abandoned in the late 1990s following the global economic down turn.