Rep vows to focus on Ng Ngungun –Ng Jagau road project
KANOWIT: The construction of a 22km road linking Nanga Ngungun with Nanga Jagau remains a key priority among all development projects that Ngemah assemblyman Alexander Vincent wants to pursue for his constituency.
He said he had submitted to the Sarawak government the request for building this road, which has been a long-awaited project for the people in Nanga Jagau – the last of four former areas under Rajang Area Security Command (Rascom) resettlement scheme that is still not connected with road.
“I have also submitted a request for an allocation of RM100 million to build the road, which is double from the amount approved by former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak when he visited Nanga Ngungun in 2016.
“The logging track currently being used by those with fourwheel drive vehicles (4WDs) to commute between Nanga Jagau and Kanowit town is accessible, but the people would surely want a better road – at least of R1 or R2 standard,” he spoke during a dialogue with six local land owners associations at Kanowit District Office multipurpose hall yesterday.
The road project was first announced by Najib during his visit to Rumah Penghulu Ugap Seribu – now Rumah Mathew Chuat – in Nanga Tada near here in February 2010, where he initially approved an allocation of RM8 million for the project.
In 2016 during a visit to Rumah Taboh Rimau at Nanga Ngungun, Najib approved another RM50 million for the project.
However, works have yet to be implemented since then – a situation that Alexander was ‘frustrated about’.
The assemblyman also advised the longhouse residents against opposing this road project.
“Upon completion, this road would surely bring a lot of benefits.”
The dialogue was conducted by the Ministry of Modernisation of Agriculture, Native Land and Regional Development ( Manred) to clarify matters regarding the proposed land development scheme in Ulu Ngemah, as well as to gain feedback from the land owners – some of whom are said to be strongly against the proposed jointventure development there.
They also claimed that some illegal timber activities were being run by companies, which had allegedly encroached into their native customary rights (NCR) land.
They noted that some trees on their land were had been marked – purportedly to be felled later.
The land owners were longhouse villagers in Ulu Ngemah before they had to relocate to the Rascom resettlement areas in Nanga Jagau, Nanga Ngungun and Nanga Tada here, and Nanga Sekuau in Selangau in the 1970s, during the communist insurgency – leaving behind padi fields, fruit orchards and other parcels of land following the relocation to a new place downriver Sungai Ngemah.
Manred officer Sirai Daha and Sarawak administrative officer for Kanowit District Office Harmon Gilbert, as well as representatives of Land and Survey Department Sibu and Kanowit police were also present.
The session gathered about 400 members of six local land owners associations.