manjoi.my: Development of Gugusan Manjoi

The Ipoh sign, viewed from Kg. Dato' Ahmad Said Tambahan 3

Challenges

Lack of proper planning when the land was first cleared for settlement has delayed development. Studies show that development in Gugusan Manjoi is lagging compared to neighbouring areas such as Silibin, Jelapang and Meru. Most of the times, the houses are poorly arranged and 30% of the homes are of inferior quality.

A study in 2003 showed that about 50% of the population lives below the poverty line, while the rest are the middle income group – both white and blue collars.

When the Urban Planning of Ipoh scheme (1985) was launched, Kampung Manjoi was removed from scheme due to protests from the villagers who opposed to paying quit rent, property tax, garbage collection fees and such. The fact is, most of the villagers at that time were living below poverty line. As a result, Manjoi is left behind for 20 years, in terms of development, compared to other areas in Ipoh.

Development

On 29^th January 2003, State Planning Committee agreed to develop Gugusan Manjoi, to keep pace with other areas such as Silibin, Jelapang, Pasir Puteh and Pengkalan, all of which have their own commercial complexes and modern homes.

The development plan was according to Gugusan Manjoi Re-building Plan in a span of five years, which cost about RM300 million. The main goal was to turn Manjoi into a modern commercial and social service centre. The task of developing Manjoi was given to Perak Mentri Besar (Chief Minister) at that time, Tajol Rosli Ghazali, Perak Development Corporation and Department of Town Planning.

Quarters for Education Institutions, Kg. Dato Ahmad Said Tambahan 2

Bandar Baru Manjoi (Manjoi New Town)

The development of BB Manjoi includes horticulture centre, recreation area, fishing recreation area, nursery, food courts, shopping plaza, police station, health clinic, bus station, wet market and community centre.

Pekan Tengku Hussein (Tengku Hussein Town) consists of 14 units of shophouses and restructuring of facilities. Pekan Dato’ Ahmad Said on the other hand, consists of office or shop complexes, stores and a shopping plaza.

Construction along Jalan Raja is still going on (as of June 2011)

Vision of Development

to build a modern, advanced and high-tech urban settlement
contribute to the socio-economic development of the Malays
to achieve comprehensive development of City of Ipoh
to encourage the successful 2^nd and 3^rd generation of settlers to return to Gugusan Manjoi to contribute their expertise and labour
to encourage economic growth via economic activities and investment
to improve the transport and road system
to maintain and increase the number of facilities
to maintain and improve drainage and landscape

Short-cut towards Development

imposing only RM10 to those who want to change the status of their land from residential to commercial,
a lease of 99 years from the government of Perak,
a discount of 50% to 80% of premium to owners who want to rebuild their houses within certain period,
cutting the red-tape of title transfer from the first generation to the second and third,
three locations identified as new towns for commercial and social service centres: Sg. Tapah, Tengku Hussein and Dato’ Ahmad Said.

Development and Modernisation Plan of Gugusan Manjoi

The first phase of the development plan was officiated by Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Prime Minister of Malaysia on 22 October 2007. The first phase included the building of Administration and Commercial Complex of Gugusan Manjoi (ACC), which consists of the Land and District Office, business centre and a mini stadium.

The construction of a major shopping complex near ACC is aimed at providing employment to the villagers and generating the economy of the people there. This is in tandem with the state government’s efforts to restructure residential area and build hundreds units of affordable shophouses (mostly in new towns). This is to encourage economic activities and investment in Manjoi.

Construction is going on in June 2011

The project also includes infrastructures, such as reconstructing roads, improving communication facility and public amenities, and overcoming transport problems, which have affected the population for so long.

The second phase of the plan is the development of Bandar Manjoi (Manjoi Town), Pekan Tengku Hussein, and Pekan Dato’ Ahmad Said, which are still under construction (as of June 2011).