The state is set to be the first in the region to operate natural gas vehicle (NGV) trams, in line with the Government’s green energy policy.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the “next generation trams” would be attractive to locals and foreigners alike.
“We must choose a form of development that is environmentally friendly if it is to be sustainable.
“It is important for Malaysia to go green and that is why this tram project has received full support from both the state and federal governments,” Najib said at the ground-breaking ceremony in Ayer Keroh yesterday.
Najib said the tram project, estimated at RM272mil, would augur well for Malacca’s tourism sector.
“It is an iconic project that will become a tourist attraction not only for Malacca but also the country,” he said.
The project will span 40km and cover 11 of the city’s 14 main tourist attractions. Completion is set for May next year.
The project, which will comply with Unesco’s world heritage site criteria, is a joint venture between Mrails International Sdn Bhd and Chief Minister Incorporated (CMI) of Malacca.
In Jasin, Najib chided the Selangor government for rejecting the setting up of the Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) campus in Serendah last year, saying that this was carried out at the expense of the people’s education and development of Ulu Selangor.
He said he was saddened when Yayasan Basmi Kemiskinan’s (YBK) bid for the UiTM campus in Serendah was rejected by the state government, resulting in a bitter row between YBK and Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim.
“I was sad as YBK was set up to help the poor and orphaned,” he said at the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the Seri Mendapat UiTM campus in Sungai Rambai.
He said the issue was not solely a question of the development of Ulu Selangor or Serendah, pointing out that such a project would have had economic spillover effects.
Earlier, Najib noted that UiTM was close to his heart as it was his father Tun Abdul Razak who established the then Institut Teknologi Mara in 1967.
He vowed to continue his father’s legacy in bringing better education to the Malays by helping to elevate the institution to a university during his tenure as Education Minister.
The Seri Mendapat UiTM campus can cater for 5,000 students and is expected to open by early 2014.
