THE Government concessionaire has dealt with some of the potholes which have formed in the road leading to the Penampang Health Clinic, while the Municipal Council is the process of asphalting the unsealed section of the same stretch.
A patient at the Clinic, on the other hand, hoped that the Health Department would exercise similar diligence when it came to attending to the road inside the compound for the premises.
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This action was prompted by feedback about the poor driving experience on both stretches.
The affected motorists blamed the lack of maintenance of these roads for damaging their cars, lamenting the added expenditure incurred to engage the services of a mechanic.
They provided Hotline with the pertinent details regarding their grievances. This information was forwarded to the Penampang Municipal Council and Health Department.
A Council spokesman said its personnel checked on the condition of the access road to the Clinic, shortly after confirming that the stretch was listed in the agency’s road register.
“They found that depressions had formed in many places between the Jalan Penampang Tambunan-junction to the main entrance to the Clinic,” he said.
“They noticed that the asphalt had cracked, or had eroded away, in other parts of the stretch.”
He said a distance of about 143 metres separated the junction from the front gate to the medical institution.
He said the government concessionaire was apprised of these observations and urged to have the necessary repairs made as soon as possible.
“We have called on the company to be more mindful about the condition of the stretch to minimise the potential difficulties caused to motorists.”
The company informed the Council that the road had been dealt with last week, according to him.
“A group of the firm’s workers patched up the potholes on Saturday.”
The spokesman said the Council had received several complaints about the deteriorating condition of the stretch over the past few months, with the most recent report lodged on January 14.
“Many were unhappy with the potholes and uneven surface of the road. But there were some who wanted to know when we intended to upgrade the part of the stretch which had been built on a slope.”
He said gravel had been poured over this section which up till now had not been asphalted.
The Council had appointed a contractor to undertake this refurbishment last month.
“The individual’s workers began marking out the edge of the road where a curb will be built last week and will soon begin sealing the road.”
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, including bad weather, the spokesman said it should take between two to three weeks to complete this task.
The Public Works Department was initially contacted about the road woes in this part of Penampang.
A spokesman for the agency said it was helpless to intervene as neither the stretch on the grounds of the Clinic nor the one outside belonged to the Department.
“The most we could do was inform the Clinic’s administration and the Council about the drivers’ concerns,” he said.
A spokesman for the Health Department said it was looking into the claims about the “terrible” condition of the road inside the Clinic’s compound.
He said its personnel would have to verify the feedback from the driver who contacted the media.
“If it proves to be true, we will assess the extent of the damage to the stretch and arrange to have the necessary repairs made,” he said.
He declined to elaborate on how often the road was maintained.
