Membakut Council looking into drivers’ plea
Published on: Wednesday, August 16, 2023
By: Sidney Skinner
The elderly driver in Membakut points to one of the ‘trouble spots’ on the unsealed road in Kg Sinoko where his car had previously become stuck.
THE Membakut District Office is looking into a plea from a 69-year-old Kg Sinoko resident to provide drivers with better access to the nearest sealed road.
Drivers in the village have to use a 150-metre red earth stretch before they get to Jalan Bambangan which has an asphalt surface.
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The senior citizen is so fed up of breathing in the dust, stirred up from the former when the weather is hot, and getting his tyres mired in the mud, when it rains heavily.
He is hoping that the local authorities will consider upgrading the road between the village and Jalan Bambangan to ensure that motorists can reach the town safely.
Staff from the District Office and Federal Development Department accompanied representatives from the bank when they handed over the cane and mattress to the female stroke victim in Membakut.
The elderly driver, who has been taking his wife to the government clinic in Membakut regularly for her post-stroke treatment, feels that sealing the stretch matters as it will give those living in Kg Sinoko better access to the town if an emergency arises.
A spokesman for the District Office said it was working together with the “Jawatankuasa Pembangunan dan Keselamatan Kampung (JPKK)” (Village’s Development and Security Committee) to address the retiree’s concerns.
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“Personnel from the District Office and the JPKK Chairman inspected the earth road last week together with the resident,” he said.
“The elderly motorist personally showed us the ‘trouble spots’ where his car had previously become stuck in the mud during a downpour.”
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He said the group also noted that the family living further up from the senior citizen and his wife had a member who was “orang kurang upaya (OKU)” (disabled).
The spokesman said the District Office staff who was present during this check could attest to the road woes in Kg Sinoko.
He said this individual experienced these hassles first hand when he visited the senior citizen’s home a few months ago.
“A local bank had sponsored a cane and mattress for his wife to help with her stroke-recovery.
“Our personnel and his counterparts from the Federal Development Department witnessed the handing over of these items.”
A steam-roller levelling the new layer of asphalt, which was applied to the surface of Jalan Kg Getah, on Monday.
The spokesman said the District Office was in the midst of putting together a “kertas cadangan” (proposal) to have the earth road sealed, all the way from the household with the OKU to Jalan Bambangan.
“We will enlist the assistance of the ‘Unit Pemimpin Pembangunan Masyarakat (UPPM)’ (Community Development Leader’s Unit) as well as the Membakut
Assemblyman’s office to endorse our intentions before submitting the proposal to the Finance Ministry.
“Should we secure the necessary funding, we will proceed with the refurbishment of the road in Kg Sinoko.”
Meanwhile, after more than a month, the Public Works Department (PWD) has finished upgrading Jalan Kg Getah in Kunak.
A PWD spokesman said a similar improvement would be carried out on several other roads around the town to mitigate the recurring nuisance posed by the potholes which formed in these stretches.
He said the government concessionaire had been tasked with dealing with the “ponding problem” on 12 roads, including the one in Kg Getah.
“The run off, which collects on these stretches after a downpour, has contributed to the potholes which form from time to time,” he said.
“It takes some time for these pools to dry up, with the asphalt gradually being eroded away by the rainwater in the meantime.”
He said this problem was triggered by the absence of road-side drains in most instances.
“In cases where these amenities have been built, many of them are in need of attention.”
A spokesman for the company said it was in the midst of remedying this situation.
“We are presently tackling the drainage issues. Once we are done, we will focus on improving the roads,” he said.
He said the rehabilitation effort involving Jalan Kg Getah began in the mid-June with the firm’s workers constructing a 45 metre-plus span of drains along the stretch.
“A steam-roller went over the new layer of asphalt which had been applied to the road on Monday.”
When asked how long it would take to finish the refurbishing the 11 other stretches, the spokesman declined to comment.
“It is early days yet. We are still finalising some of the details of the programme with the PWD.”
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