KUCHING: Families in Kampung Mambong affected by the Clinker Plant project are asking the relevant authorities to expedite the construction of their new houses otherwise some of them will have no homes to live in.
Jentor pointing to the area where sandstone is extracted, about 20 feet away from his house.
Their spokesman John Jentor said the resettlement of the 20 families from Kampung Mambong, at Mile 16 off Jalan Puncak Borneo, was long overdue.
He said it had been dragging on for nearly 20 years and a few had even died without having the chance to live in a new home.
“I, myself, now have to go through the agony of seeing my house being bulldozed soon.
“My house is on the land that had been acquired and the company is now extracting the sandstones from the land, which they use to process clinker,” he said.
Jentor lamented that his present house was gravely threatened by the sandstone extractions, which he could not protest.
“We are now living in this home at the sympathy of CMS Clinker Sdn Bhd management,” he lamented.
In view of that, he wanted the relevant authorities not to delay the implementation of their resettlement project anymore.
“I want to move out, but where to go when our house is not ready yet.
“I have been waiting for the moment to move to a new home for nearly 20 years, but until now I don’t see any sign of our housing project taking off,” said the
59-year-old pensioner.
As chairman of the Kampung Mambong Resettlement Taskforce Committee, Jentor said he had tried to contact the relevant authorities to check on the current status of the project.
He, however, lamented that the standard answer he got was “it’s on the way”.
According to Jentor, Syarikat Perumahan Negara Berhad (SPNB) would build the house for the families under the Rumah Mesra Rakyat (RMR) scheme.
However, infrastructural costs, including piling works, are not covered within the price of the RMR, and therefore the project could not take off until these things are put in place.
He said the CMS Clinker Sdn Bhd had allocated a piece of land, also in Kampung Mambong.
The land was cleared and levelled in 2009, but piling works need be done first because the site is a swampy area.
In March, Public Health Assistant Minister Datuk Dr Jerip Susil told The Borneo Post that he had written to the State Development Office for some funds to implement the infrastructure project and he expected the funds to be given out “either end of this month (March) or in
April”.
Jentor said he tried to contact Dr Jerip for the update but to no avail.
“With my house near to collapse due to the sandstone extraction and the new site now turning to bushes, I’m really lost for
words on this matter now. All I can say for now, is, please look into our plight urgently,” he pleaded.