Member of Parliament for Bintulu Tiong King Sing JP Bintulu:The government has always ensured that trunk roads in Sarawak especially roads leading out of Bintulu are maintained and upgraded according to certain standards of quality, member of parliament for Bintulu Tiong King Sing said today. He said the government had and would continue monitoring damaged roads for the sake of the safety of road-users while it was pertinent for contractors, carrying out the maintenance works on the damaged or potholes-inundated roads, to strictly observe the quality and specifications of the job assigned to them. "But as long as there are funds allocatecd for the repair and maintenance of the road, the government will not hesitate to utilize them for the benefits of the road-users, " he said. He was commenting on a news report that alleged that the federal government had overlooked in repairing certain trunk roads in Bintulu such as the Bintulu-Sibu and Bintulu-Bintulu new airport roads. The news reports quoting the DAP state assemblyman for Kidurong Chiew Chiu Sing had alleged that these trunk roads have been neglected by the federal government by allowing them to be continuosly damaged. Tiong admitted that the Bintulu-Sibu trunk road was badly damaged and inundated with potholes and the governemtn was facing difficulty in maintaining the road because there were insufficient funds to resurface the whole stretch of the road. "However, I have asked the Public Works Department to put up an immediate request for funds to resurface and maintain the road. The department has been utilizing its funds to resurface certain stretches of the road, " he said, advising road-users to be patient and make do with the present condition. "I have inspected the road and I have asked the PWD to continue monitoring the situation. I will keep abreast with the development on the road from time to time, " he said. Tiong also advised road-users to inform their respective political representatives such as member of parliament or state assemblymen and Public Works Department (JKR) officers or his service center if they found roads in Bintulu posed dangers such as potholes or uneven surface so that remedial action could be taken. "Remedial action can save lives and it can also prevent imminent damages to their vehicles. We need information from the public so that we could act promptly rather than letting the Oppositions capitalizing and politicizing the issue, " he added. On the road leading to the new airpot, which cuts across the Bintulu-Miri road in Batang Kemena, Tiong said there was no need for the road to be resurfaced as yet. The road, which is now under construction, will be upgraded to a double-carriageway. "In the mean time, I would like to advise road-users not to drive too fast on these damaged roads, " he said, reiterating his advice to heavy vehicles such as logging and sawn timber trucks or containers' trucks not to overload their vehicles. Overload or loads-laden vehicles would not only further damage the roads, they also pose danger to other motorists, he said. "Even newly-constructed roads will damage rapidly and at faster rate if they continue to overload their vehicles, " he added. Tiong also urged the Road Transport Department and the police to carry out spot checks more often on overloaded heavy vehicles plying in and out of Bintulu. "Such operation will be very effective in curbing lorries and containers' trucks laden with goods to overload their vehicles." However, he expressed his disappointment that some of the authorities' operations or spot check were in vain and found little success when heavy vehicles' operatior know about the intending operations before hand. "It is as if these operations have known the information as they are believed to have been given tif-offs about the authorities' intentions to carry out spot checks or opertaions over the next few days." "Subsequently, the operators put away their vehicles at bay for a few days to avoid from being roped in for overloading and other traffic offences. I have come to learn that there seems to be a leak of information by certain irresponsible personnel." He advised these personnel not to become the operators' collaborators, as they were helping to overcome the problem, but they were encouraging more people to commit road and traffic offences. On the development of the Borneo highway, he said the government would continue to carry out the construction of the highway provided that there were sufficient funds in its coffers. "One ought to have a macro view over the overall development being carried out by the government in Sarawak, which is a big state. Presently, the government has numerous agendas in its development plans and programs. High on the list is to deliver basic development amenities to the people in the State such as housing, water and electricity supply and others to the poeple." "However, eventually the government will resume the highway construction when there is funding. It will be delivered to the people in time to come, " he said, adding that the Barisan Nasional government had never failed to deliver what it promised...END WITH NO PHOTO.