Houses squatting along Mukah/Matadeng Road Reserve demolished

MUKAH (Sarawak): Twenty-three houses built on a road reserve along the Mukah-Matadeng Road here have been demolished by the Mukah Land and Survey Department.

Department head Unus Tambi said the action was necessary to speed up its on-going upgrading work.The owners had been given ample notice to demolish the houses themselves, he said, adding that the government would not be compensating them.

Meanwhile, Naim Holdings Berhad, which is tasked by the government with the upgrading work, is confident of completing it by December.Its chief operating officer, Datuk William Wei, said this would mean that the project was four months ahead of schedule.

Road users have long complained about the very bad condition of the 52km stretch, saying that they now take three to four hours to negotiate the stretch compared with two hours previously.

Road Transport Department Director-General Datuk Solah Mat Hassan, during a visit on March 24, directed his officers to take action against overloaded trucks and lorries which have further aggravated the situation.- Bernama