Miri council to ask JKR to continue maintenance works along protocol roads

MIRI: Miri City Council ( MCC) will write to Public Works Department (JKR) for the department to continue maintenance works along protocol roads here.

Mayor Adam Yii said this during MCC’s full council meeting yesterday when replying to deputy mayor Julaihi Mohamad, who expressed concern over unavailability of federal funds for JKR to continue the maintenance works.

Minister of Works Baru Bian in a media statement recently confirmed that there was no budget for the months of November and December this year from the federal government for JKR to carry out maintenance works along the protocol roads.

In this regard, the federal government has instructed JKR to cease all the maintenance works at protocol roads including in Miri which involve a length of more than 70 kilometres.

“We will write a letter to JKR as such service involves public interest.

“As we are now facing the landas season, we are worried that stopping such maintenance works like grass cutting and drain cleaning will be causing flash floods and make the situation worse.”

In addition, he said MCC will also write to Ministry of Local Government and Housing to seek advice on this matter.

He admitted that MCC will incur additional cost if it has to provide maintenance works for protocol roads and the recent directive from the federal government for JKR to cease its maintenance works along protocol roads had really placed MCC in a difficult situation.