Ministry to bid for RM34 million to upgrade riverine facilities — Dr Jerip
SIBU: Assistant Minister of Transportation Dr Jerip Susil said they would bid for RM34 million during the mid-term review of the current Malaysia Plan as funds to upgrade the riverine facilities in Sarawak.
Being a major catalyst for the transformation of rural areas in Sarawak, he said there is a need to ensure that river transport and its associated facilities are provided with safety features.
“Once we have the money, we will start work immediately,” he said at a press conference at Sibu Express Terminal yesterday.
According to Dr Jerip, the Sibu Express Terminal is one of the busiest waterways along the Rajang River, and Sibu alone caters to more than 600,000 passengers plying to and fro all over Sarawak along Rajang River, down to Mukah, Song and Sarikei.
“With such heavy demand, it is imperative that we need to take measures to ensure that the safety aspects of the facilities are never compromised,” he added.
He said Sarawak Rivers Board ( SRB) had conducted many campaigns on river safety to make sure passengers observe safety rules and to ensure that the jetties are well maintained.
Besides that, he said SRB was also looking into the possibility of upgrading the express boat terminal into a modern one.
The assistant minister also informed that upgrading of pontoons in the state would be carried out as soon as possible as they were in dire need of repair.
He said they had set aside RM750,000 for the project and a contractor had been appointed to do the task. “What we are looking at now is to get the cooperation from members of the public to play their roles responsibly and always take precaution when they are on the boats,” he stressed.