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Seven months on, hopes of having new streetlights put up on more housing roads in Tanjung Aru before 2025 ends are dimming fast, as City Hall is still waiting to receive the funds needed to undertake this improvement. 

The setback in this town aside, the agency has been doubling down on efforts to keep the other residential areas around its rating area properly illuminated, including one in the Damai area.

This action follows feedback about trespassers entering two premises on Jalan Rumah Pangsa 1 in Tanjung Aru, as well as the traffic hazards posed by the unlit sections on Lorong Kenawai 4 and Lorong Kenawai 4G. 

The individuals, who spoke out about these irregularities, provided Hotline with the pertinent details regarding these problems. This information was forwarded to City Hall.

A spokesman for its Engineering Department said the agency had secured an allocation from the government, with the help of a “YB”, in the first quarter of the year to have solar lights installed in some parts of Tanjung Aru.

“This politician wrote to us in April about preparing a Bill of Quantity to implement this urgent project,” he said. “We submitted all the necessary documentation to the Ministry a month later.”

The roads named in this paperwork included Jalan Murni, Jalan Murai, Jalan Rumah Pangsa 1, Jalan Rumah Pangsa 2, Jalan Sir Ralph Hone, Jalan Datuk Willie, Jalan Kg Tanjung Aru and Jalan Balai, according to him.

The spokesman said, so far, City Hall had only received the approval to have new lights installed on Jalan Kg Tanjung Aru and Jalan Balai.

“We are still looking for alternative sources of funding to have these amenities erected on the other roads.”

The spokesman said a check of City Hall’s records showed that there were only two streetlights on Jalan Rumah Pangsa 1 where the misdeeds had been carried out.

“We will try and look at our finances in the New Year to see if we have a streetlight put up outside each of the affected homes,” he said. “This is the most we can do while waiting to move forward with the improvements we want to make in Tanjung Aru.”

SHIGMAS, who lives on Jalan Rumah Pangsa 1, said he was the victim of a home invasion in February.

“The intruder drove up in an unregistered vehicle around 4am and entered my compound,” he said. 

“He switched off the lights in my car porch and behind my house.  The individual also covered the spotlight in my front yard with a piece of clothing, before trying to pry open the front grill to my house.”

Fortunately, he did not succeed and left without further incident, according to him. 

“All this was captured on one of my neighbour’s CCTV [Closed Circuit Televisions] cameras.”

When he reported what transpired to the Police, Shigmas appealed to the officer, who took down these details, to consider having his colleagues patrol Jalan Rumah Pangsa 1 more often. 

“This may discourage others from encroaching into our compounds.”

Another Tanjung Aru resident, LOVIE, echoed Shigmas’ concerns, saying that her residence was burglarised a month earlier. 

“The thieves made away with a laptop, handphone, sling bag, piggy bank, crystal bracelet and several pieces of gold jewellery which were presented to me on my wedding day,” she said.

“The bad hats entered through my kitchen window in the wee hours while me and my family were sleeping. Thankfully, none of us were harmed while they were looting the place.”

Lovie feared that unscrupulous parties might be taking advantage of the almost pitch black darkness on the housing road to carry out these misdeeds.

“Mine’s is not the only home which has been targeted by thieves. Several of my neighbours have also experienced break-ins.”

In the case of the streetlights in the Damai area, the spokesman said its electrical contractor was alerted to the breakdown of the amenities servicing the housing roads there.

Repairs were made shortly thereafter, according to him, with the contractor’s workers changing a 100watt “son tube”, a 100watt ballast, an ignitor and two line-taps for the lights on Lorong Kenawai 4.

He said they also dealt with a loose connection which was causing the lights on Lorong Kenawai 4G to malfunction.

These amenities were tested that same afternoon after they had been dealt with to confirm that they were operational, according to him.

“The contractor kept the stretch under surveillance at night for a week afterwards. During that time, he confirmed that nothing was amiss with these lights.”