Contractor starts work on improving Long Luping-Ba Kelalan Road
KUCHING: Samling has started the upgrading works on the worse stretch of the 60km Long Luping- Ba Kelalan Road, bringing a sigh of relief to the locals who have been enduring the ordeal of using the badly damaged road for a long time.
A local transporter Lion King @ Singa told The Borneo Post that the contractor had begun the upgrading works last Saturday.
“We really hope that they will carry out the upgrading works properly so that we will soon have a proper road. The upgrading of the road will alleviate our sufferings as we have to traverse the road almost every day to transport goods and passengers who need to travel to Lawas,” Singa said yesterday.
He thanked The Borneo Post for constantly highlighting the issue until the government took the necessary steps to improve the road.
“Thank you to The Borneo Post for being daring enough to highlight our plight so that our voices could be heard by the relevant authorities,” added Singa.
Singa also said that the penghulu of Long Semadoh, Dennis Yahya Ating, had requested for a grand meeting for all the community leaders from the area with the relevant authorities on Oct 31 on how best to keep the road in good condition.
“We have to address this major issue urgently as we cannot afford to have a road without proper maintenance,” stressed Singa.
When contacted, Minister of Infrastructure Development and Transportation Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Jemut Masing confirmed that his ministry and the state Public Works Department had taken over the maintenance of the road from the Ministry of Defence ( Mindef) after he met government representatives in Putrajaya on Tuesday (Oct 24).
The road was initially built by the army under the Jiwa Murni programme and completed in 2013. But since then, there has been no maintenance.
“Now Samling will make good its promise to upgrade the road as we have instructed them to do,” he said, adding that he would be making a spot check on the project soon.
On a related issue, the Deputy Chief Minister disclosed that he chaired a
Now Samling will make good its promise to upgrade the road as we have instructed them to do.
meeting in Putrajaya last Tuesday to discuss, among others, the Jiwa Murni roads in Sarawak such as the Long Luping- Ba Kelalan Road as well as Menawah-Belaga Road.
“These roads have created connectivity to rural settlements which otherwise will not be connected at all. These roads are built for low volume traffic, certainly not heavily laden trucks.
“I told the committee that no matter what the public say, Jiwa Murni roads must continue to create connectivity to rural settlements. We can only do better in the years ahead,” said Masing.
Among those attending the meeting were of ficers from Mindef, Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning Unit, Ministry of Infrastructure Development and Transportation, State Secretary’s Office, State Finance Office and the Land and Survey Department.
Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Jemut Masing, Minister of Infrastructure Development and Transportation