By DayakDaily Team
LIMBANG, Aug 10: The construction of the Ulu Tubai-Mentawai road, which will connect the area to Gunung Buda, has not been cancelled but will instead be implemented under the 13th Malaysia Plan (R13MP).
Sarawak Deputy Minister for Infrastructure and Port Development Datuk Aidel Lariwoo said the implementation of the project had to be temporarily postponed to prioritise the Sarawak-Sabah Link Road (SSLR) Phase Two project in the area.
“The project has not been cancelled but has been included in the RMK13 planning.
“In the previous implementation phase of the Mentawai-Ulu Tubai-Gunung Buda road, there were several constraints faced by the implementing agency, namely the Public Works Department (JKR), including objections concerning Gunung Buda National Park and the water catchment area.
“This matter needs to be studied further, particularly in relation to Gunung Buda National Park and the water catchment area,” he said when met by the media after conducting a working visit to the Sungai Limbang Bridge project today, as reported by TVS.
According to Aidel, the project would later be implemented through a tender process involving a selected contractor.
He said the construction cost of the Ulu Tubai-Mentawai road was also expected to increase due to rising costs of construction materials, logistics, diesel, and related components.
Previously, the Ulu Tubai-Mentawai Road project in Limbang was estimated at RM130 million to connect the Bawang Ubor/Ulu Tubai area to Mentawai and, subsequently, to Gunung Buda.
However, the project has yet to be implemented. — DayakDaily
