The construction of the East Coast Railway Line (ECRL) in the Nilai area will boost economic growth and population increase in the Nilai district, said the Nilai Municipal Council (MPN) president Zazali Salehudin.

As such, he said, as a local authority (PBT), careful planning must be initiated, including training skilled workers to support the development of industries that would grow in Nilai.

“As a local authority, we have to pay serious attention (on the construction of ECRL station in Nilai) as it could become an important transportation system for the movement of goods from the East Coast to the West Coast and subsequently, to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport and Port Klang.

“Among the things that must be given attention are road facilities, infrastructure, electric power and water supply. These must be adequate and in good condition, as Nilai is not far from Labu, which is part of the planned Malaysia Vision Valley (MVV) development project,” he told reporters in Seremban.

Zazali, who is also the Seremban Municipal Council president, said industrial development would create more job opportunities and would certainly benefit the people in the surrounding areas.

“With industrial development, many jobs will certainly be created. We at the Negeri Sembilan government level must take this opportunity to provide skilled manpower among the local population...I feel we can plan the work movement or provide skilled workers for industrial development here.

“When there are many workers in this area, they will have families here and thus require housing, so new housing areas too must be planned to meet the needs of the future,” he said.

Zazali said the population growth in the area would also enable the local authority to collect more assessments, thus enabling the government to plan and give better infrastructural facilities to the local population.

Asked whether the location for the ECRL station in Nilai had been decided, Zazali said it depends on the state government’s decision to determine the actual location for the ECRL station in Nilai.

However, he stated that the ECRL station in Nilai had so far been planned to be built near the industrial area.

Last Wednesday, Menteri Besar Aminuddin Harun confirmed that Nilai would be the second stop in Negeri Sembilan for the ECRL.

He said the ECRL station, which would provide passenger and transportation services, would be located near Nilai 3.

- Bernama