KUCHING, Feb 10: The new bridge for Kampung Kudei Dunggun will commence its construction this month to the relief of villagers.
Political secretary to the Premier, Abdul Samat Gany, witnessed the handing over of the project by the Public Works Department (JKR) to the contractor, Oku Enterprise Sdn Bhd today.
The wooden bridge will be 189 metres in length, one metre in height, with a width of 1.2 metres.
Its construction is divided into two packages, A and B, with the former covering 120 metres and the latter covering the remaining 69 metres.
The project is scheduled to begin on Feb 20 and is slated for completion by August 6 this year, with a six-month construction period.
Also present during the handing over of the project were Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) Muhibbah sub-branch chief Ali Sujang, JKR Assistant Divisional Engineer Sahril Mat Noor, Oku Enterprise Sdn Bhd owner Jeremy Alwyn and Kampung Kudei community leader Supardi Abdullah.
Meanwhile, villagers expressed their gratitude to Satok assemblyman Datuk Ibrahim Baki for making good on his promise for the new bridge to be rebuilt.
Kampung Kudei Dunggun village head Philip Chakat hoped that efforts to develop the village would continue with various other initiatives implemented by the state government.
“I would like to thank Datuk Ibrahim Baki for fulfilling his promise during the recent election (GE15) — we are giving our full trust to him.
“I also want to thank Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, we hope that he will continue to assist us here (in Kampung Kudei Dunggun),” he said when met by reporters.
At the same time, Kampung Kudei Dunggun village safety and development committee member Khairul Azam Cham Abdullah said the old bridge had to be replaced as the area is prone to flooding.
“This is the second time that the bridge has been rebuilt. The first was in 2015 after a flash flood,” he said, adding that several quarters have also lent their assistance to the village in the past.
He hoped that with the bridge being rebuilt, the next step would be to fully address issues such as electricity supply to the squatter village.
For villager Alip Beli, he thanked the Sarawak government for addressing the village’s plight and hoped such efforts would continue.
“We are thankful for their (the Sarawak government’s) support and assistance,” he said, adding that the village has existed for more than half a century and has been occupied by multiple generations. ― DayakDaily
