Perak to develop its southern region using Iskandar Malaysia model

The Perak government plans to create the Southern Perak Development Region encompassing the Batang Padang and Hilir Perak districts as the area is not within any economic development corridor.

Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir said the area's overall development plan, when fully completed, would be officially forwarded to the federal government.

"We want this area to be developed using the models of the economic development corridors or the Iskandar Malaysia Development Region in Johor," he told reporters after chairing a state executive council weekly meeting, here, Wednesday.

Zambry said the proposal was a long-term development plan which would strengthen the area's economy involving the education, port, and automotive and other industrial sectors.

He said the Southern Perak Development Region would be based on the state government's aspirations under the Perak Amanjaya Plan. Zambry said the proposed development would involve the existing parties such as Vale and Proton which were already assisting Perak's economic development, as well as new partners including Khazanah.

"The proposed area is large and located up to Perak's border with Selangor, so it will be a new growth area."

He said infrastructure would be further developed while the government had decided to proceed with the construction of the West Coast Expressway, which would boost economic growth in the area if the proposed Southern Perak Development Region plan was approved by the federal government.

During the tabling of the 2014 national budget, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had announced the building of the 316km West Coast Expressway from Banting in Selangor to Taiping in Perak.

The expressway will also pass through several areas like Hutan Melintang, Bagan Datoh, Teluk Intan and Lekir in Lower Perak.