The Federal Territories Day celebrations on Feb 1, 2017, is themed 'Wilayah Ceria Rakyat Sejahtera' (Blissful Territories, Prosperous Residents).

Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor in an exclusive interview with Bernama shared his determination to make residents in all three territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya happy by dealing with their most pressing problems.

Tengku Adnan said: "We want the city-folk to be cheerful, because we realise that if the people are not happy, it will lead to many problems."

The following is his interview with BERNAMA recently.

BERNAMA: Cost of living is among the challenges faced by city-dwellers, what are among the ministry's initiatives to tackle the problem?

Tengku Adnan: We are looking at how we can address the problems faced by people in the Federal Territories, especially those cost-related.

We are planning to issue a 'Kad Ceria' (Cheerful Card) to help people buy groceries at discounted rates.

We have also implemented programmes in poor areas, extending aid under the 'Wilayah Prihatin' (Concerned Territory) programme.

In addition, the ministry has also introduced the Federal Territories Affordable Housing (RUMAWIP) programme by building 50,000 affordable homes in Kuala Lumpur, 20,000 in Putrajaya, and 10,000 in Labuan.

The units are sold at very reasonable prices below RM300,000, and there are also homes for the poor, sold at RM42,000.

In Putrajaya, we have the 'Nadi Putra' bus service where users pay only 50 sen to get to any location in Putrajaya, while in Kuala Lumpur, we have the 'GO KL' buses which offer free rides.

In addition, beginning this year, we are providing free school bus service for those residing in public housing projects or public houses, to help reduce their burden.

It is hoped that these initiatives can help the city-dwellers cope with rising costs, and there are many other plans in the pipeline as well.

BERNAMA: Another challenge faced by city people is traffic congestion, so can you explain the ministry's plan to deal with this issue?

Tengku Adnan: I am aware that the one of the challenges faced by people in the city is traffic congestion due to the rapid development.

Give us some time, I believe the problem will gradually decrease within the next five years.

We are also looking at ways to reduce the number of private vehicles entering the city, that's my goal.

BERNAMA: Datuk Seri, to what extent have efforts been made to achieve the goal?

Tengku Adnan: I am confident we can achieve it, because we are implementing various initiatives in that direction, for example, by strengthening the public transportation system with the likes of the Light Rail Transit and Mass Rapid Transport systems.

In Putrajaya, beginning March, we will be using the electric bus service on a trial basis.

BERNAMA: Under the 'Greater KL/Klang Valley' initiative, there is a goal to make Kuala Lumpur one of the top 20 cities in the world to live in by 2020, how far along are we towards achieving it?

Tengku Adnan: We are focused on reducing carbon emissions by increasing green development in the city, such as planting about 100,000 trees by 2020, as well as implementing other environmentally friendly projects.

All these initiatives aim to provide comfort to the residents, the programmes implemented are to ensure good surroundings, development infrastructure, and security, and at the same time attract more people to reside in Kuala Lumpur.

The 'River of Life' project, for example, is to turn the entire stretch along Sungai Gombak and Sungai Klang into vibrant riverside areas with high economic value.

In addition, under the initiative to make Kuala Lumpur a 'Green City', we have, among other things, changed all street lights with LEDs, to save costs and reduce carbon emissions.

Besides that, to solve the problem of waste disposal from eateries, 'Grease Traps' have been installed at all food outlets to reduce river pollution, and thus, we will be able to achieve the 'Green City' status, forming an environmentally-friendly metropolitan city.

BERNAMA: What are the long-term visions for Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan as Federal Territories?

Tengku Adnan: For Kuala Lumpur, its vision is to become a developed capital city, on par with other world-renowned capitals such as New York, London and Paris. In fact, Kuala Lumpur has now been listed as one of the Top 10 Most Visited Cities in the World, so we hope we can be among the Top 5 in the future.

For Putrajaya, it is to be maintained as the administrative centre of the country, thereby functioning as the hub to bring the government and people closer.

For Labuan, I plan to develop the island as a tourism and education hub.

Behind all these plans to develop the three territories where people from all over the country come to reside, the main vision is to embed the spirit of love for these territories. -- Bernama