Raya goodies for fishermen

The fishermen and families are all smiles after receiving the hampers.

TO instil a sense of belonging and solidarity within the community, the Pusat Perkhidmatan Setempat Nelayan (PPSN) distributed 30 Hari Raya hampers to fishermen from Permatang Tepi Laut and Kampung Sungai Batu in Penang.

As part of PPSN’s annual festive tradition, the initiative on April 17 was aimed at spreading happiness.

Penang Infrastructure Corporation (PIC) chief executive officer Datuk Seri Farizan Darus said the ongoing reclamation works for Silicon Island were being carried out with the local community’s well-being in mind.

“As development progresses, the state government is committed to ensuring that the livelihood of the local community, particularly the fishermen, are protected and improved.

“The state’s dedication is to prioritise the needs of local communities and integrate their perspectives into development planning.

“This approach is evident in the inclusion of the Social Impact Management Plan (SIMP) and Penang Silicon Island Ecology Offset Masterplan (PEOM) as approval conditions to safeguard the welfare of fishermen and the marine ecosystem,” he said.

Aside from being a one-stop information centre for identifying and addressing issues faced by Penang Island fishermen, PPSN also conducted social programmes for the locals.

These include assisting fishermen to sign up for SIMP and implementing PEOM initiatives.

During the SIMP sign-up period, 96% of eligible fishermen from nine units within the southern area of Penang Island were registered.

Presently, 100 fishermen have received their full ex-gratia payment, while another 457 got 75% of the total amount, with the remaining applications expected to be processed by end of June.

Farizan reiterated the commitment to implement other SIMP initiatives, like providing larger boats and higher horse-powered engines, upskilling, job and business opportunities and education assistance for the fishermen’s children.