SIBU: “It’s amazing to see what can be achieved if we set our hearts and minds to it,” said Sibu Rural District Council (SRDC) deputy chairman Robert Lau Hui Yew, clearly pleased with the Street Garden pilot project here.
Implemented in Sibu Jaya by the township’s master developer Distrepark Sdn Bhd at the behest of three zone councillors, Lau said he had always believed that passion was a driving force in Sibu Jaya’s outstanding growth over the last decade.
“I’m glad to be serving in SRDC alongside fellow councillors who share a similar passion in driving both the council and the areas under it forward.”
In Sibu Jaya, the passion to make the township even better was clearly evident, he said yesterday.
“From the three zone councillors Kong Yii Tee, Halimah Japar and Mathew Chuat to the master developer Distrepark and from the business community to the residents, you can feel the positive vibes, the passion to make this township bigger, better and brighter.”
Lau said the three councillors were fed up with the constant complaints from residents about the unkempt road verges in front of their homes.
“From haphazardly planted fruit trees to vegetables and from being a dumping site to illegal stores, it was not only an eyesore but a health hazard as well.
“So, the councillors gathered the residents and asked for help from the private sector. Distrepark, which is part of the Amcorp Properties Group, responded positively by providing labour and ideas. Some from the Sibu Jaya business community also chipped in to help,” Lau elaborated.
The end result was a much improved version of how road verges in residential areas should look like.
Properly planted ornamental or fruit trees, planter boxes for vegetables and even rubbish bins with used tyre stands to ensure they did not topple over.
“I hope that residents from the other streets would organise themselves and come together in the spirit of ‘gotong-royong’ and turn their streets into gardens as well,” Lau said.
He also reminded the public to not plant as they wished, urging them to work closely with SRDC on what could or could not be planted or done outside their house compounds.
“For example, the many lorries or cars parked by the roads are actually not allowed, but we understand why the residents parked outside.
“We are studying ways and means to get the lorries out of residential roads. For this, we will be calling on lorry drivers staying in Sibu Jaya to sit down with us to look for a solution,” he said.
The deputy chairman and zone councillors were in SibuJaya for a working visit and also to thank the developer and other private sectors who had contributed to the success of the pilot street garden project.
