Baru: Works on LTB to begin this year

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Baru (third left) and See (left) light firecrackers at the event held at the Mile 3 bazaar. Also seen (from third right) are Zuraida, Willie, Ali and others.

KUCHING: Works on the Trans Borneo Highway (LTB) connecting Sarawak, Sabah, Brunei and Kalimantan will begin this year, says Works Minister Baru Bian.

He said RM600 million has been approved by the federal government for the purpose, and he is confident that tender for the project would be released by August.

“The LTB is a (circular) loop in the Borneo highlands, which stretches from Kalabakan to Serudong, Sabah, and then to Simenggaris Kalimantan via Tawau, then runs through the Melinau area to Krayan District and Long Bawan (in North Kalimantan), opposite Ba Kelalan before heading to Long Medan and returning to Ba Kelalan to be connected to the Sarawak-Sabah Link Road (SSLR). This highway also connects Long Pasia in Sabah,” he told a press conference at the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Chinese New Year open house at the party’s Stampin branch office yesterday.

Zuraida (second left) fields questions at the press conference. Also seen are (from left) See, Baru and Ali. — Photos by Chimon Upon

Baru, who is also Selangau MP and Ba Kelalan assemblyman said LTB is expected to be fully operational within the next 10 years, and would be implemented in collaboration with the Indonesian government.

“I shall go to Kalimantan next month to see the area in question, and hopefully meet with my counterpart there,” he said.

Commenting on the LTB project, Baru said there were several factors driving the construction of the highways. They included the need to drive economic activities in Borneo highlands of Sarawak, Sabah and Kalimantan.

He also believed the LTB would open up Sarawak’s interior for development, especially along the highway.

“My focus is connectivity to Kalimantan as the Indonesian capital will be relocated from Jakarta to Kalimantan, not far from northern Sarawak. The Indonesian government will develop infrastructure from there to the main road that will connect Sarawak,” he said.

PKR vice president and Minister of Local Government and Housing Zuraida Kamaruddin, Saratok MP Ali Biju, Puncak Borneo MP Willie Mongin, and PKR Women national vice president Voon Shiak Ni were also present at the function.

The PKR open house this year was hosted by Batu Lintang assemblyman See Chee How.