KUCHING, Feb 24: Maintenance work involving streetlights along the Pan Borneo Highway is not under the jurisdiction of the Public Works Department (JKR) but, that of Sarawak Energy.
According to a news report from TV Sarawak (TVS) today, Padawan Municipal Council (MPP) chairman Lo Khere Chiang in a statement said that the faulty streetlight along Liu Shan Pang road in 7th Mile was due to the damaged cables caused by Pan Borneo Highway construction works which took place in May or June 2022.
“Sarawak Energy has also provide a replacement for the streetlights using temporary electricity supply, however it was affected again several times in June and October last year,” he was quoted by TVS as saying.
Currently, he said, only eight of the streetlights along the road which is marked with yellow paint have yet to be repaired to give way for the Pan Borneo Highway construction works.
He also said the contractor has promised to re-install new cables on all eight streetlights once the works have been completed.
He added that Sarawak Energy is following the development closely and urged the contractor to speed up the cable installation process so that all eight streetlights can be used again.
Meanwhile, Lo urged Opposition politicians not to tarnish MPP’s good name by blaming the council for the faulty streetlights and encouraged them to get authentic information from Sarawak Energy.
He explained that although in principle it is clearly JKR’s responsibility, the maintenance process is under the responsibility of Sarawak Energy and MPP does not have any authority or responsibility over the problem of streetlights along the Pan Borneo Highway. — DayakDaily
