Awang Tengah (right) with Abang Johari being briefed on the SSLR project and the integrated connectivity plan for northern Sarawak during the earth-breaking ceremony in Kampung Gelugus in Lawas
LAWAS (Oct 31): Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan called on the federal government to allocate more funds for the game-changing missing link namely the Sarawak-Sabah Link Road (SSLR) project in northern Sarawak.
Welcoming the commencement of the construction of the first 77-kilometre (km) road from Lawas to Long Lopeng under Phase 1 of the project, Awang Tengah said it will be connected to Ba Kelalan with an allocation of RM80 million by the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development which was secured by Lawas MP Datuk Henry Sum Agong.
“There is only over 100km missing link in the jigsaw to complete this connectivity for northern Sarawak all the way from Miri to Lawas and Sabah,” he said.
The state government will be undertaking to build the coastal highway connected to the Pan Borneo Highway in Limbang and Lawas after this section was shelved by the previous Pakatan Harapan government.
This would be connected to the SSLR where a portion in Limbang linking it to Mulu is already under construction using state funds which was approved by Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg.
The chief minister officiated the earth-breaking ceremony of the RM1.13 billion project of phase 1 of SSLR project in Kampung Gelugus in Lawas yesterday.
Awang Tengah called on upon Senior Works Minister Dato Sri Fadillah Yusoff to help source for funds for the missing link from the federal government under the ambit of the Keluarga Malaysia concept.
In response, Fadillah assured the state that he will be taking up the missing link proposal to be included under the rolling plan of the 12th Malaysia Plan.
He believed that the SSLR will open up more economic opportunities to the local communities, particularly in the agro and eco-tourism industries.
Awang Tengah, who is also Second Minister of Urban Development and Natural Resources and Minister of International Trade and Industry, Terminal Building and Entrepreneur Development Planning, said the state is adopting a holistic approach in accelerating development.
He said the pace of the state’s major infrastructure and utilities development needed for greater socio-economic uplifting have been accelerated following the state’s approach in tapping into multiple state and federal funds.
He said the people of northern Sarawak fully support the dynamic leadership of Abang Johari, who is also Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) who had set up the Northern Region Development Agency (NRDA) under Regional Corridor Development Authority (Recoda) for faster regional development.
“We are now on the right track in Northern Sarawak with anticipated connection of power supply to state grid under SEB’s northern agenda and water grid plan to complement the road and digital connectivity under the plan, “ he said.
This will accelerate the pace of industrial, commercial agriculture, tourism and other economic sectors in Limbang and Lawas under NRDA and other parts of northern Sarawak under Highland Development Agency.
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