IN PROGRESS: Lau (left) and Wong (second left) inspecting the earth filling work for the Sibu Indoor Stadium.
SIBU: Construction of the proposed RM25-million Sibu Indoor Stadium has begun, with earth-breaking ceremony to be held shortly.
Second Finance Minister Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh said earth filling at the site at Sibu Old Airport had commenced.
“Barring unforeseen circumstances, the stadium should be completed within two years,” he said, adding that the state-of-the-art stadium would have a seating capacity of 4,000.
Wong visited the project site yesterday together with Temenggong Vincent Lau, who was expected to tender his resignation as a Chinese community paramount leader the same day to pave way for him to contest the Sibu seat this general election.
Wong, meanwhile, refuted the claim by DAP that the government had reneged on its promise years ago to come up with the Sibu Indoor Stadium as well as the Sibu IT Library.
He explained that the stadium was supposed to be built last year but the State Planning Authority deferred the construction when it rezoned the site for the construction of the University College of Technology Sarawak (UCTS).
As a result, Wong said, they had to look for an alternative site which was nearby the current Bomba office.
“However, due to the sinking nature of the land, we will have to incur at least RM10 million on earth filling, piling and the suspended flooring,” he pointed out.
Wong said construction of the RM25-million Sibu IT Library would only commence after the completion of the stadium.