By Peter Sibon
KUCHING, Oct 8: Putrajaya has an open policy on the road between Serian and the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex in Tebedu, with upgrade depending on the current needs.
Deputy Works Minister Mohd Annuar Mohd Tahir said the federal government is progressive in its approach on the need to upgrade or widen the single carriageway.
He said this when answering a supplementary question from Serian MP Datuk Seri Richard Riot Jaem, who said that there is an urgent need to upgrade the road as it is the only road network connecting Malaysia (Sarawak) to Kalimantan and the planned new Indonesian capital in the East Kalimantan region.
“We will upgrade the road if there is an urgent need. We are progressive in our approach,” Mohd Annuar told Parliament during the Question and Answer Session today.
Riot said the urgency is there as Indonesia will move its capital from Jakarta to East Kalimantan in 2024.
“We need a better and improved road network to link us to East Kalimantan. Definitely there will be economic spillover from this exercise,” he said.
In his response, Mohd Annuar said currently, the road is not congested as the traffic statistics recorded only about 2,509 vehicles plying it daily.
He added that the level of service (LOS) of the road is under category ‘A’, which means that it has no ‘blackspots’, even though he acknowledged that the road is winding and steep in certain areas.
Meanwhile, Riot told DayakDaily that he felt his questions should have been answered by Works Minister Baru Bian, with the Selangau MP being a Sarawakian and should know the condition on the ground. — DayakDaily
