Budget 2017: IRDA hopes for more infrastructure development funding

The Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA) hopes the government will allocate more funding for infrastructure development in the upcoming 2017 Budget.

Chief Executive Datuk Ismail Ibrahim said a larger allocation for affordable housing, public transportation and connectivity would benefit the public tremendously.

"It is important, especially for the bottom 40 per cent household income group, to have access to affordable and quality housing, as well as improved connectivity in cities and secondary towns.

"In this regard, the public sector should provide effective and efficient public transportation," he told reporters on the sidelines of the Khazanah Megatrends Forum 2016 here today.

Citing Iskandar Malaysia as an example, Ismail said the region has been growing rapidly over the last 10 years due to the efforts towards enhancing the quality of the environment through connectivity and infrastructure development.

In the 2016 Budget, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced efforts to implement infrastructure development in rural areas, with RM1.4 billion allocated to build and upgrade 700 km of rural roads nationwide and an additional RM200 million to upgrade roads in Federal Land Development Authority (FELDA) settlements.

Najib also announced various fund allocations to improve infrastructure in cities, including RM900 million to implement the Jalan Tun Razak Traffic Dispersal Project aimed at reducing traffic congestion in Kuala Lumpur. - BERNAMA