TOWARDS ensuring the progress of strategic projects under the 10th National Development Plan (RKN 10), His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office conducted a working visit to various project sites in the Brunei-Muara District yesterday.

His Royal Highness began his working visit in the morning at the Defence Academy project site where he was welcomed by Dato Paduka Awang Haji Mustappa bin Haji Sirat, the Deputy Minister of Defence, as well as Pehin Datu Pekerma Jaya Major General Dato Seri Pahlawan Mohd Tawih bin Abdullah, the Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces, and members of the RKN 10 executive committee.

His Royal Highness was briefed on the development of the project before viewing a project video and then signing a parchment.

Next to be visited was Sultan Saiful Rijal Technical College’s (Phase 1) project site that is designed for the college’s Aircraft Department. Here a briefing explained the current status of the $19 million project, for which construction will be completed soon after having begun on February 7, 2012.

His Royal Highness’ next stop was the Kampong Madang/Manggis Mosque.

A total of $2.9 million has been spent on building the mosque which is expected to be finished around the middle of this year and will be able to accommodate 2,419 worshippers.

Two schools were next on the itinerary, beginning with the Sungai Akar Secondary School project site. With construction expected to be completed in June this year, the $22 million school is aimed at increasing access to education in the area.

The second school to be visited was Sultan Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien College where His Royal Highness took a closer look at its new $11 million block.

His Royal Highness continued by visiting the new $5.5 million five-storey extension building of the Information Department’s Head Office, as well as the Anti-Corruption Bureau project site where His Royal Highness was briefed on the bureau’s progress with regard to its $12 million five-storey building project.

The Tungku-Jerudong Highway site was visited next. Here, His Royal Highness was briefed on the $29 million project which is currently in its second phase and is expected to be completed in the middle of 2015.

The project is aimed at easing traffic jams on main roads and increasing road safety in the Brunei-Muara District.

His Royal Highness then moved on to the Library at Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) for a luncheon and to perform the Zohor prayer before continuing with a visit to the Pengiran Anak Puteri Rashidah Sa’adatul Bolkiah Institute of Health Sciences and UBD’s new Faculty of Science building.

The working visit came to a close after His Royal Highness viewed Institut Teknologi Brunei’s (ITB) Phase Three construction project located on the institution’s left wing. - Borneo Bulletin (27 May 2014)