Lee (right) during a briefing on the site at Jalan Ding Lik Kwong in Sibu. Seen from his right are Ting and Dr Jerip. — Photo by Peter Boon
SIBU (May 10): Members of Sibu Lorry Association can now breathe a sigh of relief as they can continue using the parking site at Jalan Ding Lik Kwong near Igan Bridge here, as the Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) is set to apply for the renewal of the Temporary Occupation Licence (TOL), which expired on May 8.
In stating this, Minister of Transport Sarawak Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin said SMC would apply for the TOL renewal from the Land and Survey Department
“The TOL for this piece of land expired yesterday (May 8) and because this land is under SMC’s TOL, the council is to apply for its renewal, extending the validity for the next three years, so that the association can continue using it for the time being.
“We have resolved the issue today,” Lee told reporters after conducting site inspection yesterday.
Adding on, Lee said he had been informed that the said land would be affected by Sarawak Energy Bhd (SEB)’s plan for its pylons (tall tower-like structures used for carrying electricity cables high above the ground).
Back on the six-acre site at Jalan Ding Lik Kwong, the minister said it was a ‘surplus land’ that was left following the construction of Igan Bridge, and based on the situation at that time, it was recommended for the association to use it as a way to address the longstanding issue of lorry-parking.
In his remarks, SMC chairman Clarence Ting described the area as ‘a road reserve’.
Accompanying Lee during the site inspection were his deputy Datuk Dr Jerip Susil, Deputy Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government II Michael Tiang, Bukit Assek assemblyman Joseph Chieng, Sibu Resident Wong Hee Sieng, Sibu Lorry Association chairman Tiong Kung Lik and its secretary Teo Choon Kui, as well as key representatives of Lee’s ministry, Land Survey Department, SEB and Public Works Department Sarawak.