AG’s Report suggests SRB impose tolls on vessels passing through barrage

KUCHING: The Audi tor - General’s Report 2016 Series 2 which was released yesterday has advised the Sarawak Rivers Board ( SRB), which manages the Sarawak River Barrage, to start imposing tolls for vessels passing through its ship locks.

It said the toll charges could be used to maintain the barrage due to the increasing cost of maintaining it. The report revealed that the cost of maintaining the barrage had risen by 168.4 per cent last year from RM7.9 million in 2015.

Among the main components of the barrage repaired in 2016 were the pivotal bearings that control the ship locks costing RM3.9 million, services to obtain the mechanical and electrical spare parts costing RM2.87 million, Quantitative Risk Assessment Studies for the barrage and the ship locks costing RM377,165, and other related items costing more than RM600,000.

Maintenance cost of the barrage in 2014 was RM5.49 million while in 2015 the cost of its maintenance was RM4.69 million.

The report suggested that the toll charges for vessels using the barrage be as follows: vessels below 30 metres be charged RM5; 30- 60 metres ( RM10); above 60 metres ( RM20); tugboats ( RM50); barges ( RM20-RM50); passenger boats ( RM720) and fishing boats from RM5 to RM10.

Besides that, the report also said the audit investigation found out that the f lushing out operations that were carried out had exceeded the prescribed limits.

However, SRB had stated that in September, the state government delayed tol l implementation on the grounds of economic downturn.

The state government has been allocating annual grants to cover the management and operational cost since its operation in 1997.

SRB manages the Sarawak River Regulation Scheme (SRRS) which among others include the barrage, ship locks and bridge that was built at a cost of RM164 million; and was the first of its kind in South East Asia that incorporated a 3-in-1 infrastructure.