SUNGAI DUA CENTRALISED MUSLIM CEMETERY TO BE OPERATIONAL BY OCTOBER - MOHAMAD

BUTTERWORTH, April 15 (Bernama) -- A five-acre (2.2 hectare) padi field in Sungai Dua has been acquired for the development of a centralised Muslim cemetery to meet the needs of the local Muslim community, said Penang Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Dr Mohamad Abdul Hamid.

He said the land acquisition process began in January 2021 following discussions between the Seberang Perai Utara (SPU) district religious administrative officer and the District and Land Office before the matter was brought to the state level by the Penang Islamic Religious Affairs Department (JHEAIPP).

Mohamad said the project was approved in principle by the Penang Islamic Religious Council (MAINPP) and later obtained the State Land Committee’s approval in 2022, with the estimated land acquisition cost of RM7.06 million assessed by the Valuation and Property Services Department, funded under the 2024 Budget allocation.

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“The Public Works Department has estimated that land reclamation for the entire site will cost RM2.2 million, but for phase one, which covers 1.5 acres (0.6 hectares), the cost is RM500,000.

“However, an additional RM200,000 is needed, as landfilling will begin at the rear section of the site, which requires road access. This brings the total cost for the first phase to RM700,000,” he told reporters after the groundbreaking ceremony for the centralised Muslim cemetery landfilling works today.

Mohamad said the land, previously owned by individuals from Permatang Sungai Dua, was officially gazetted as the SPU district centralised Muslim cemetery on Jan 2 this year.

He said landfilling works would begin next month and take four months to complete, with the cemetery expected to be fully operational by October.

Mohamad, who is also MAINPP president, said the cemetery development would be carried out in stages based on demand, adding that the remaining land could be optimised for other developments benefiting the community if phase one was deemed sufficient.

He said that the conversion of the padi field was also part of efforts to better coordinate and manage Muslim cemeteries in a more systematic and efficient manner.

--BERNAMA