SERI ISKANDAR: The state government is harbouring hopes that the Finance and Transport ministries will approve the construction of an international airport in Perak.
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad said there was a crucial need to have an international airport in Perak as the state government was developing Lumut Maritime Industrial City (LuMIC) in Manjung.
"We have identified the land but it all depends on the Transport Ministry and Finance Ministry. We have met and told them that we are developing LuMIC.
"From there, we see there is a need to have a cargo terminal. If they (don't agree) we can't do anything.
"But hopefully, for a long-term plan, they will agree to our proposal... it all depends on the budget that they have," he told reporters after attending the Tanya Cikgu Saarani Programme with students at University Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Seri Iskandar.
LuMIC will focus on industries involved in the maritime and logistics sectors, as well as those directly involved in international trade routes.
LuMIC is set to be an engine of growth for Perak and the Northern Corridor Economic Region, driven by private sector participation via both foreign and domestic direct investment, special economic zone incentives and strong industry-academia collaboration.
On July 28, the state government identified a new site near Felcra Nasaruddin in Bota for the construction of an international airport.
State Infrastructure, Energy, Water and Public Transport Committee chairman Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin had said the new location was about 40km from the original proposed site of the airport in Seri Iskandar.
Nizar had said, however, that the proposal to build an airport on a 1,618.7ha site required a thorough study before implementation.
On a separate note, when asked when a laboratory for Non-Radioactive Rare Earth Elements (NR-REE) would be built in the state, Saarani said the project would be kicked off next year.
"There are many states that will explore NR-REE and we must grab the opportunity because they will come to our laboratory to test the results and analyse whether the mineral taken is REE or something else.
"The infrastructure will be built next year and this project will take a long time and require large capital to realise it," he said without divulging the cost of the laboratory.