The Central Terengganu Development Authority (Ketengah) plans to expand its administrative area to include eight more mukim (sub-districts) in the Hulu Terengganu district.

Deputy Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Rubiah Wang said the expansion would include the sub-districts of Tanggul, Hulu Berang, Hulu Telemong, Jenagor, Kuala Berang, Kuala Telemong, Tersat and Penghulu Diman.

She said the expansion was to enable the socio-economic development agenda in the sub-districts to be carried out, thereby preventing the people in the area from falling behind in the trend of modernisation.

“We recognise Ketengah’s clout in developing a region and we hope that this expansion plan can close the income gap and eradicate poverty,” she said at a doa selamat prayer session in conjunction with Ketengah’s 50th anniversary here tonight.

To achieve that end, Rubiah said the ministry would hold negotiations with the Terengganu government to obtain its consensus and approval.

Rubiah said if all planning goes smoothly, the agenda is expected to be realised this year.

“We have allocation of funds to implement development programmes in the areas, but we need an endorsement from the state government for approval,” she said.

The Ketengah region established on April 12, 1973 covers an area of 1.3 million hectares with a population of around 200,000 people.

Its administrative area includes three districts namely Dungun, Hulu Terengganu and Kemaman with five administrative centres, namely Pengkalan Gawi, Bandar Bukit Besi, Bandar Al-Muktafi Billah Shah, Bandar Ketengah Jaya, Bandar Seri Bandi and Bandar Cheneh Baru.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency