Sibu Urban Renewal Committee moots project to rejuvenate Bukit Assek

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Chieng at the press conference today.

SIBU (April 5): The Sibu Urban Renewal Committee has proposed that a section of Bukit Assek be developed under a pilot project to rekindle the confidence of land and property owners in the state constituency.

Its chairman, Dato Chieng Buong Toon, said a small area in Bukit Assek can be identified for the residential and commercial project as part of the larger redevelopment plan for the constituency.

He pointed out that Bukit Assek covered a vast area stretching from Jalan Hua Khiew all the way to Jalan Amoy, spanning about 400 acres, and it was not possible to redevelop the entire area overnight.

“Therefore, we hope for the start, the state government can initiate a pilot project in a small area identified in Bukit Assek. Hopefully, when it yields positive results in time to come, we can move on to the next area.

“And, I believe this will help to boost the confidence of the land and property owners in the whole of the Bukit Assek area,” Chieng said.

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He thanked the state government as Land Custody and Development Authority (LCDA) had already conducted two labs on the redevelopment of Bukit Assek.

“They (LCDA) are planning to conduct a social impact assessment study and basic socio economic profile survey.

“Here, I must stress that redeveloping a new residential and commercial area in Bukit Assek is a very tedious tasks and will take some time, given the numerous factors that need to be look into including from legal aspects such as by-laws,” he told a press conference on the Bukit Assek redevelopment plan.

Chieng said he had received many calls from members of the public asking for updates on the redevelopment plan following last week’s fire in Jalan Tiong Hua which claimed a life.

“Most wooden houses were built here crammed together on narrow streets. The situation has worsened as the population continues to grow. It has become a fire hazard today. The fire last week destroyed more than 10 wooden houses at Tiong Hua Road.”

He said other problems in the area included the increasing dengue cases, blocked drains, and flooding every raining season.

“So, the redevelopment (of Bukit Assek) has become an urgent matter and there are no other alternatives except for the redevelopment,” Chieng said.