He said for rural road projects, a total of RM25 million had been allocated
this year and RM1.39 million had been set aside to carry out road projects in
the rural areas of Bintulu.

" As for rural electricty supply, a total amount of RM80 million has been
allocated while another RM40 million is allocated to carry out water supply
projects in rural areas in Bintulu"

Tiong further revealed that out of the RM80 million allocation, Bintulu has
been given a boost of RM1.6 million for project pertaining to electricity
supply.

However, he was sad that there was no allocation made for water supply
projects after receiving a reply to his verbal question at the parliamentary
session yesterday.

Earlier, he had asked rural development minister to reveal the amount of
allocation approved for Sarawak especially Bintulu for rural projects such as
roads, water and electrity this year.  He had asked the reason why rural
projects were not implemented effectively.

He said rural development ministry had given assurance that the three projects implemented under the Seventh Malaysia Plan were implemented smoothly and effiectively.

However, he revealed that the ministry has admitted that there has been a
slight delay under the Eight Malaysia Plan as that was the first year of the
plan's implementation, adding that the public should not be duly worried as
it was quite normal for delays to occur during the first year of Malaysian Plan.

He attributed the delay to the slow process of obtaining approval from the
multi-faceted parties especially the state government and federal implementing agencies before the projects could commence.

Tiong said he had been given a further assureance by the ministry that once
these three projects were implemented, they would be expedited in the
proceeding years, as what had happened in the past.

 On water supply in Bintulu, he would ask the federal government through rural development ministry to approve allocation to his parliamentary constituency, as Bintulu had yet to be given specific allocation for rural water supply projects up to the July 15 this year.

As the problem of obtaining clean piped water supply in the rural areas in
Bintulu is apprently critical, he would try his best to get more allocation
to carry out rural water supply projects in Bintulu.

He added that he had written letters to several federal ministries including
the Deputy Prime Dato' Seri Abdullah Hj. Ahmad Badawi to provie immediate
allocation to carry out water supply projects in Bintulu including those in
Niah/Suai areas, as it was very crucial to the rural folks.

He commented that rural folks who solely depended on rivers as main water
source had been suffered most whereas many river and its tributaries in
Bintulu were now polluted, following the excessive land clearing, plantation
activities and palm oil processing mills upstream.

"How do you expect people to consume murky water or water that has been
contaminated with chemical waste?", Tiong recalled various complaints received by him in a few visits to more than 640 longhouses and Kampungs here.

He believe it was about time that these people to receive a clean piped water
supplies.

Lastly, Tiong also asked from the government for additional allocations for
rural road projects and electricity supply for rural areas, as he felt Bintulu
should be allocated with more basing on the allocated amount of RM2.99 million for both projects this year...END WITH NO PHOTO.