By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Nov 15: The construction of an R3 standard road to connect Penan and Kayan villages with the Long Bedian sub-district will cost about RM3.9 billion.
According to Telang Usan assemblyman Datuk Dennis Ngau, he brought up the matter during the last sitting in May this year and since then, has been working with a group to study and come up with an estimate.
“Based on the survey and data collected, the total estimated cost to build an R3 standard road with several bridges and other miscellaneous is RM3,902,753,407.25. The estimated length of this road is at least 300km,” he said when debating the Sarawak Budget 2025 during the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUS) sitting today.
He added that the major villages of Penans and Kayans communities in the constituency need ‘better than logging’ roads.
The villages are Long Atip, Long Watt, Long Tujang, Long Buang, Long Bemang, Long Win, Long Bangan, Long Jenalong, Long Latei, Long Liwok, Long Nen, Long Karangan, Long Kevuk, Long Leng, Long Urang, Long Kawa, Ba Selulong, Ba Siang, Long Belok, Long Sayan, Long Daloh, Long Daloh Bistari, Long Anyat, Long Luteng, Long Itam Bunau, Long Itam Asal, Long Lilim, Ba Pakan, Ba Kabeng, Long Melangit, Long Senyai, Long Tebangan, and Long Tap.
Meanwhile, Dennis also urged the Sarawak government to continue with basic road repair works conducted through three local companies in the constituency.
He said this initiative has brought relief to some longhouses in both Telang Usan and Mulu constituencies.
According to Dennis, they were also told that the initiative was more of a trial programme as it is the first ever of such initiative being rolled out.
“Being a vast area and very ‘ulu lagi’ (remote) with thousands of kilometres of earth roads making a web of basic communication lines, I urge the State government to continue with the initiative while looking at ways to improve it, especially on the amount of fund allocated,” he said. — DayakDaily
