Proposed enhancement works on Belaga wharf scheduled to finish by end-April — SRB

KAPIT: More enhancements works on Belaga wharf are being planned by Sarawak Rivers Board ( SRB), focusing on the safety of passengers and operators, as well as making the running of the facility more efficient that before.

According to SRB Region II (Sibu) assistant controller Christopher Chan Ah Man, the project has been put up for tender and is due to close this Jan 26.

He also said the works should take off early next month.

“The enhancement works are expected reach completion by the end of April – giving it ( Belaga wharf) ample time to prepare for Gawai Dayak, where passenger traffic is at its peak. Among the scope of works on the wharf include the laying of new tiles, provision of benches, construction of one ticketing counter, and also the construction of a new barrier,” he said in chairing a meeting on the project, on behalf of the SRB controller, at Kapit District Council (KDC) yesterday which was attended by Bukit Goram assemblyman Jefferson Jamit Unyat and representatives of various relevant government agencies.

Apart from the enhancement works, those in attendance also discussed issues related to the relocation of the traders currently operating at Belaga wharf.

“This move ( relocation of traders) is to facilitate the project works due to be carried out soon,” said Chan.

The Belaga wharf is one of two key wharves here. The Kapit terminal serves the two-way SibuKapit route, while the Belaga wharf is for the Kapit-Belaga-Baleh route – both along the Rajang River.

According to statistics from SRB, the Belaga wharf catered to 356,401 passengers boarding 4,642 express boats, with the peak period comprised days before the official Gawai Dayak celebration on June 1.

Meanwhi le, Jamit lauded SRB on the move to undertake improvement works on Belaga wharf.

“This is good news to the people of Kapit – the project is a way forward towards not only making the wharf better and safer for the passengers and operators alike, but also improving the livelihood of the locals.

“With the presence of these various government agencies at this meeting today (yesterday), I do hope we could work together to solve the problems of the traders who are currently trading at the wharf,” said the assemblyman, adding that the timeline of the project was ‘ just nice, in that it is expected to be ready before Gawai’.