By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Aug 21: Ba’ Kelalan assemblyman Baru Bian has urged the contractor for the Sarawak-Sabah Link Road (SSLR) Phase 2, Package 3, to assist with the basic needs of residents living along the project alignment.
The package involves an approximately 63-kilometre stretch from Long Luping-Long Lopeng to Long Komap, which Baru said would be important in improving connectivity and creating opportunities for economic development, agriculture, education, healthcare and tourism in Sarawak’s interior.
In a statement on Thursday (Aug 20), Baru called on the main contractor, Maltimur Aktif Unggul JV Sdn Bhd (MAUJV), and other parties involved in the project to give due attention to requests from affected communities.
“My service centre had received requests from residents for assistance with levelling land for residential house sites, repairing village access roads affected by construction, improving routes used to transport agricultural produce and making appropriate use of heavy machinery for community works.
“Residents had also raised concerns over the impact of construction activities on their daily lives,” he said.
Baru said major infrastructure projects in the interior should be accompanied by corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives that provide direct benefits to local communities.
“Residents are not merely affected by the project; they will also be its long-term beneficiaries. Therefore, a ‘project with the people’ approach should be adopted,” he said.
He noted that relatively small works, such as repairing village roads, could have a significant impact on residents’ daily lives despite being minor compared with the overall scale of the SSLR project.
Baru urged the contractor to conduct engagement sessions with residents and community leaders and establish a clear mechanism for communities to submit CSR requests.
He also called for immediate CSR works, including village road repairs, to be carried out in coordination with the Sarawak Public Works Department (JKR), District Office and local leaders.
At the same time, he stressed that safety requirements and project specifications must not be compromised.
Baru also called on JKR Sarawak and relevant agencies to facilitate the implementation of CSR initiatives to avoid unnecessary delays.
“The SSLR is not merely a road construction project; it is a project that is meant to bring about meaningful changes to the lives of people in the interior,” he said.
He expressed hope that the contractor and all parties involved would take prompt action through cooperation and social responsibility, saying such assistance would benefit residents while fostering goodwill and better relations between the project team and local communities. — DayakDaily
