KUCHING, July 12, 2017 - Ba'Kelalan assemblyman Baru Bian has applauded a proposal by Samling Group of Companies to upgrade the 80km stretch of the Long Luping – Ba’ Kelalan road to a standard R1 category road.
The atrocious condition of Long Luping - Ba'Kelalan road that is badly in need of upgrading
"This is welcome news to the people of Ba’
Kelalan," he said in a statement today.
The PKR state chairman hopes that Minister of
Infrastructure Development and Transport Tan Sri Dr James Masing is serious and
determined to source the RM36 mil required for the project, but he has
reservations as the federal government does not appear to have the funds to
spare.
"Even if the federal government does, Sarawak is
always low on its priorities when it comes to rural infrastructure," he
said when commenting on Masing's statement that Samling had proposed to
undertake to upgrade the Long Luping-Ba'Kelalan road into gravel road at a cost
of RM36 million.
Baru said the proposal is only right and appropriate it
has been logging extensively in the area for the past 30 years, and its licence
is valid for many more years.
"In view of the fact that the timber company has
profited enormously from the timber extracted from the land of the people, it
would be taken as a goodwill gesture if they could bear the cost of
construction of the road.
"This could be done as part of their corporate
social responsibility programme, and I am sure that to them RM36 mil is an
affordable sum, considering the billions they must have made logging in the area
over the past many years," Baru said.
He understands that an R1 road is the lowest standard of
rural roads, and the surface is not necessarily tar-sealed.
As this 80km R1 road is to be a gravel road, he
hopes that the road builders will take
extra care with the drainage so that the road does not wash away during heavy
rains.
He said Masing's statement is also timely as he has just received complaints yesterday
from the villagers of Ba’ Kelalan that the road between Long Semadoh and Long
Ibau is also in atrocious condition.
"Parts of the road are mud bogs, and on stretches
where remnants of the road still exist, there is danger of the road breaking
away and falling into the ravine below.
"This road is the only access road into Lawas and is
used by students daily to get to school and back, especially for those living
around SK Long Luping, SK Long Semadoh and SK Ba’Kelalan.
"It is the only way for the elderly and sick to get
to medical services and for the villagers to get their provisions.
"It is a common complaint from vehicle owners who
use this road that their vehicles are damaged and condemned before they even
finish paying the instalments to the finance companies.
He hopes that the minister will also look into the
completion of the 25km Long Sebangang–Long Sukang Road.
"According to his reply to my question in state
assembly last year, only 2.8km of the road was being built (tar-sealed) and was
funded from the RM1bil special allocation from the Federal government.
He said it does not make any sense that an allocation
would be made for only 2.8km of a 25km stretch of road.
On the Lawas-Damit road, which is riddled with potholes, Baru
said there is no sign of any repairs yet besides gravel being thrown into some
potholes here and there.
"This is the stretch where a fatal accident happened
last month when a motorcyclist swerved to avoid a pothole," he added.
Baru recalled Masing, in his winding up speech, had told
the Dewan in May that for 2017, a sum of RM3.6 mil had been provided for the
repair of critical stretches of this road and that the potholes would be
tar-sealed to form a paved surface.
"The delay in implementation is causing not only inconvenience,
but also the danger of more fatal accidents along the road is of great concern
to the people," he said.
Baru said the people in Ba’ Kelalan often compare their mud tracks
with the roads to Kuala Lawas, Puneng and Sundar, which are very well
constructed.
"In Ba’ Kelalan, even the roads nearer to Lawas such
as the Long Tengoa and Long Sebangang roads are badly constructed and full of
potholes.
"The government has the capability to build good
roads if they want to, as proven by the Kuala Lawas and Sundar roads," he
said, urging the government, with the help of the timber company, to upgrade
the roads in Ba’ Kelalan to be of the same standard as the Kuala Lawas and
Sundar roads.
"There is no point wasting money to build
sub-standard roads that will only last a few months before being turned into
impassable muddy fields," he quipped.
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