Construction works have started at the new settlement area for the villagers who are affected by the Refinery and Petrochemical Integrated Development (Rapid) project in Pengerang, Menteri Besar Abdul Ghani Othman said.

The new settlement, which can accommodate the 2,000 families affected by the project, would be ready in March next year, he said.

“The 121-hectare settlement is located not far from their existing villages,” he told reporters after opening a career carnival at Persada Johor today.

He added that the area would have all the public amenities such as a school, kindergarten, field and so on.

Abdul Ghani also said that the owners of land involved in high-impact projects would be compensated based on market prices, upon assessment by valuers.

The RM60 billion Rapid project, run by Petronas and slotted for completion in 2016, is among projects under the Economic Transformation Programme.

Abdul Ghani said the land office was currently identifying the land involved in the project but had not reach the evaluation stage for the purpose of compensation payment.

The process to identify the land is expected to take several months.

On the job opportunities at the Rapid project, he said, 40,000 workers of various skill levels would be needed during the construction of the plant and other facilities.

There would be 4,000 workers needed to handle the various facilities upon the completion of the project in 2016, he said.

- Bernama