GUA MUSANG ORANG ASLI EXPECTED TO RELOCATE TO NEW SETTLEMENTS BY MID-2026

KUALA LUMPUR, July 1 (Bernama) -- The Orang Asli community from Pos Tohoi, Pos Pulat, and Kampung Kuala Wias, affected by the Nenggiri Hydroelectric Power Plant project in Gua Musang, Kelantan, is expected to be relocated to new settlements at two locations spanning over 2,000 hectares by mid-2026.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said 250 out of 280 household heads have agreed to the compensation package and relocation, while the remaining household heads are still negotiating.

He said the package included comfortable housing with infrastructure and modern facilities, rubber plantations and orchards for them to generate income, relocation allowance and logistics assistance, and temporary monthly living allowances while waiting for the plantation to produce rubber.   

"To ensure the local community's interests, Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) has conducted various engagement sessions and corporate social responsibility programmes within the proposed project site, especially with the Orang Asli community since 2014.

"More than 30 engagement sessions were held, including sessions hosted by the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam)," he said when winding up the debate on the motion for Suhakam's Annual Report and Financial Statement for 2021 and 2022 in the Dewan Rakyat today.

Fadillah, the Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister, said TNB will provide additional cash if the compensation does not fully cover the losses incurred, especially due to the loss of crops.

He said all cash payments, including compensation for crops, are expected to be disbursed by 2026 before the villagers relocate to the new settlements.

According to Fadillah, TNB has also identified other villages, such as Kampung Depak, Kampung Bering, Kampung Lama Gemalah, Kampung Tinjing, and Kampung Guling, where only a small part of the plantation is affected, and relocation is not necessary.  

"TNB started to conduct an initial assessment of losses at the end of 2023, and the compensation management process is expected to start after July," he said.

On the water supply issue in Kelantan, Fadillah said the Machang water treatment plant project, which will treat raw water from the Machang riverside water reservoir, is expected to be completed in April 2029, adding that an RM20 million study on water resources development in the state is underway and expected to finish in October this year.

-- BERNAMA