KUCHING, Dec 10 — Newly appointed Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi has reiterated that one of his top priorities is to ensure that the Pan Borneo Highway project in Sarawak and Sabah is completed on schedule.
He said this mega project has much significance to the two states.
“My focus is obviously on its successful completion. As of Nov 25 this year, its physical progress on the Sarawak side is 90.9 per cent. It is expected to be completed by 2024.
“I have in fact thought of going on a road tour of the whole stretch of the Pan Borneo Highway project to see the real situation on the ground sometime next year.
“This is compulsory for me,” he said at a media conference after having a briefing on Sarawak’s infrastructure development and programmes given by deputy Premier and Minister of Infrastructure and Ports Development Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah here yesterday.
Nanta said there are many more projects being carried out by the state JKR which he would also want to look into.
On the briefing, he said it was generally to give him and his team a picture of how to intensify the Works Ministry’s efforts in developing the state infrastructure.
“As has been announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, my ministry together the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development under Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi and the Ministry of Plantation and Commodities under another Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, have to work together with the Sarawak government to look at the plans and implementation of projects under the respective ministries,” he said.
Meanwhile, Uggah said Sarawak hoped to receive more allocations in the years ahead, particularly for rural roads development.
“We need to construct at least 2,000km of new roads to connect about 400 rural settlements still unconnected by road.
“As you know we are implementing the Post Covid-19 Development Strategy 2030 whose objective is to ensure Sarawak becomes a developed state by 2030. This includes linking up these settlements with roads within that period.
“We have communicated this to Nanta and the federal government. We also need assistance to repair the over 1,000km of abandoned logging and plantation roads,” he said.
Uggah said there has been no maintenance on them since the timber or plantation companies left the areas concerned.
“We also have raised some issues (with the federal government) on the implementation of the Pan Borneo Highway so that it can be completed as scheduled,” he said.
He also said they wanted the state JKR to be accorded a technical department status.
“I must congratulate Nanta and Fadillah on their respective appointments.
“Sarawak is lucky that Nanta too as he is helming a very important ministry. Though he has to take care of the whole country, I hope he pays a bit more attention to Sarawak,” he said. — Borneo Post Online
