KUCHING: Padawan Municipal Council (MPP) is often blamed by the public over drainage and grass-cutting issues which are actually under the jurisdiction of the federal Department of Public Works.
“We get many reports and complaints from the public about drains and grass along federal roads,” said MPP chairman Lo Khere Chiang(pic), who is also Batu Kilang assemblyman, during a press conference at Coffee Factory Café yesterday.
According to Lo, the Pakatan Harapan government has cut the allocation for maintaining drains and cutting grass during a discussion of the MA63 steering committee recently.
“Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad together with his federal ministries have decided to cut the sum from RM820 million this year to only RM100 million for next year,” he said.
“So how will the department maintain federal roads in the state? Everyday, we give RM250 million in oil to the Peninsula, which is equivalent to RM15 billion a year, but is this how they repay us for our contribution?
On Sarawak Pakatan Harapan chief Chong Chieng Jen’s recent statement that they would do open tender for the maintenance, he said he had checked with the State Public Works Department and was told that the federal Public Works Department had already appointed a contractor called DAL-HCM.
“The public often complain about federal roads, and as for MPP, we have already spent RM20 million on the drains and grass cutting under our jurisdiction. I hope the public won’t say the MPP has not done its work,” he said.
