RM700 mln

RM700 mln to get Kanowit, Kapit linked

by Samuel Aubrey
April 16, 2010, Friday

Manyin says work on long-awaited trunk road no political gimmick but will start soon

SAMARAHAN: Construc-tion work on the long-awaited trunk road linking Kanowit to Kapit may start soon, and it’s not a political gimmick, said Infrastruc-ture Development and Communication Minister Dato Sri Michael Manyin Jawong yesterday.

Dato Sri Michael Manyin Jawong

The whole road is only about 80km long but it may cost some RM700 million to build it mainly because it had to snake through difficult terrains.

“This is not a political gimmick (for the coming state election)…We do this because we now have the money (to commence this project).

“I (just like everyone else) also want this road project to speed up so that Kapit can be linked to other places in the state as well,” he told reporters after closing a training programme for community leaders from Samarahan division at the Civic Centre here.

Manyin said the project could take-off as early as this year following available funds given by the federal government.

The focus would be on the Kanowit-Ngemah stretch first. It would cost RM115 million and tenders would be called soon.

“The whole project will be funded under the federal government’s National Key Result Areas (NKRAs) initiative,” he added.

At present, there is a road linking Sibu to Kanowit.