KUCHING: Kampung Beradek, a farming village in Demak Laut constituency, needs good access to improve its economy.
And Demak Laut assemblyman Dr Hazland Abang Hipni thinks access to the village, famous for its pumpkins, can be improved by implementing a ferry across the Sarawak River or by building two bridges across two different stretches of the river.
He told a press conference here on Sunday (Aug 30) that the ferry would serve as short term solution for the villagers while the bridges would provide long term solutions to the problem.
The construction of the bridges would be accompanied by the building of roads, he said.
“Yes, we did suggest the ferry service but the plan has been delayed. One of the major reasons is the safety factor.
“When we suggested the ferry service to the state government, we were told to guarantee that the river was safe for the ferry to operate. We have hired a river safety consultant and obtained the safety certificate.”
Dr Hazland said that the ferry service could begin once the ramp on the opposite bank of the river was completed. However, the ramp would cost around RM 1 million to build.
The second solution was to build bridges and roads to the village.
“Our plans are to build a bridge that is from the Tanjung Bako LKIM Fishing Port and another bridge that will cross over a river called “Lubak Batu Ular,” explained the assemblyman.
Political secretary to Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, Datuk Seri Syed Hamzah Syed Paie, who was present, also stressed the importance of accessibility for the people living in the area.
“There are five villages here from Tanjung Embang, namely Kampung Beradek, Beradek Cina, Semilang Tiang Api and Sungai Pinang.
“Access is important for these people because it can help them to sell their farm harvests to the markets,” he said.
The cost of building the bridges would be around RM 200 million while the cost of building the roads would be around RM45 million, added Syed Hamzah.
