3 days ago
Field work on road links to Kalimantan has begun, Sabah assembly told
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah's road links to neighbouring Kalimantan, where Indonesia's new capital Nusantara will be located, are in the preparatory stages, the state assembly heard.
Deputy Chief Minister and state Works Minister Datuk Shahelmey Yahya said one proposed link from Sabah to Kalimantan is a new road from Kalabakan to the Malaysia-Indonesia border, or Simanggaris.
'(This 28km road) would link the existing Sapulut-Kalabakan road to Simanggaris... (and) includes the construction of a 20km spur road that connects Kg Serudong Laut,' he said on Monday (July 7).
Shahelmey said the Federal Government, through the Works Ministry, had approved the preliminary study and project design for the road under the Third Rolling Plan of the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP).
'Field work, such as land surveying, utility mapping and land inspections, is ongoing,' he added.
Shahelmey said another proposal was for a road connecting Sempadan Bantul, from Pekan Pagalungan in the interior Nabawan district to Pekan Sempadan Bantul in Pensiangan.
'This proposal has been approved under the 12MP Third Rolling Plan and (the land is being acquired)," he said.
Datuk Dr Yusof Yacob (Warisan-Sindumin) also wanted to know if alternative routes are planned because the Kalabakan-Simanggaris stretch was too long.
'If we look at the map, there is a point of contact for Sabah, Sarawak and Kalimantan, which we call 'the heart of Borneo'," he said.
He noted that roads from Sipitang to Long Pasia to North Kalimantan would be more economical, and could better serve locals in these areas in terms of socio-economic development.
Yusof pointed out that the village of Long Bawan, in the north-west of East Kalimantan, currently gets its supplies from Ba' Kelalan and Lawas in Sarawak.
A route built through there from North Kalimantan, which is rich in natural resources such as coal and gold, would bring abundant economic benefits, he said.
'Are there plans to make this 'heart of Borneo' a new (economic) region, considering this and other factors?" Yusof asked.
Shahelmey said there are no plans to change the link roads through the area for now, but it could be considered in the next phase of development for the state.
