RAUB: Pahang has yet to receive any proposal for the "highly anticipated" solar farming project in Felda Bukit Goh in Kuantan.
Nevertheless, the state government was willing to consider the project if it contributed to the betterment of settlers, said Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail.
He said the state government had not received any application for the alleged solar farming project on lands previously involved in bauxite mining.
"No, we have not received any application. If there is an application (by the company), then we are prepared to look into it. If it is for the betterment of the people (settlers), then we might consider it.
"Let us wait for them (the parties involved) to submit the application first," he said, replying to a question on the proposed solar farming project in Felda Bukit Goh.
Wan Rosdy was met after launching Raub' s Village Economy Development Integrated Project in Ulu Dong here today.
On whether the state government would review the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and consider the resumption of bauxite mining in Bukit Goh, Wan Rosdy said the matter will be looked into.
The New Straits Times, in a front-page report yesterday, reported that a company, Loyalty Holdings Sdn Bhd, had proposed a large-scale solar farming project, which would guarantee settlers a monthly income of at least RM3,000 for 21 years.
Some 400 settlers had been waiting for about seven years for the state government to allow bauxite excavation works to resume, but the mandatory EIA was rejected last year, leaving them with an uncertain future.
The settlers, who had seen zero income from their abandoned land with no oil palm replanting activities, were hoping for the state government to give the nod to the solar project to allow them earn a monthly income.
A non-governmental organisation based in Bukit Goh, known as Pertubuhan Gagasan Dua Generasi, will spearhead the solar project with the company, whereby the 4.5ha of land owned by each settler will be leased to the company with minimum monthly rental returns of RM3,000 for 21 years.
Bauxite mining in the state was previously halted by a moratorium imposed by the government in 2016 after unregulated mining resulted in environmental issues, including contaminating water sources.
The moratorium was extended on nine occasions before it was withdrawn on March 31, 2019, but till today, despite the government introducing new bauxite mining standard operating procedures, there were still no signs that bauxite mining would resume.