SIBU, April 12: The old dilapidated wooden houses along Jalan Tiong Hua need to be demolished to make way for redevelopment.
Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) Bukit Assek chairman, Datuk Chieng Buong Toon when speaking to reporters after presenting donations to the March 29 fire victims today said there was no other alternative but to redevelop the site.
“After this fire, we received calls from the public who wanted an update on the Bukit Assek redevelopment plan. These houses are old as they were built in the 1960s. The houses are separated by a small walkway and when a fire happens, it will affect most of the houses,” he said.
The fact that local residents who are mostly renting also do not have fire extinguishers highlights the fire risk.
The March 29 fire incident as well as one which happened two years ago, serve as good examples as to why redevelopment is necessary.
“This (Bukit Assek redevelopment plan) is a mega project. It is not easy to implement it as it takes time as we don’t have a people’s representative here who is from the government side,” Chieng opined.
However he hoped the State government would consider the plan which was initiated by SUPP Bukit Assek.
Chieng also disclosed the Land Custody and Development Authority had recently conducted a study on the area.
The March 29 fire made 11 families homeless. They were not able to salvage anything as the fire razed the houses to the ground. — DayakDaily
