Weigh bridge: Only talk but no action
Published on: Thursday, September 14, 2017
Kota Kinabalu: The State Forestry Department has failed to discharge its duty in monitoring logs being transported out of the logging concession in Kalabakan-Sapulut areas, claimed DAP Sabah.Its Secretary cum Sri Tanjung Assemblyman Chan Foong Hin claimed overloaded logging trucks continue to be seen coming out from the area concerned entering the main road.In a statement here Wednesday, Chan said this was based on residents who have been witnessing the overloaded logging trucks plying the Kalabakan-Sapulut road, even through the night.
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He said the Forestry Department should take the lead in monitoring the logging trucks while waiting for the proposed Weighing Bridge to be completed along the road."Issues of overloaded logging trucks had been raised a few times but there's still no action from the relevant authorities," he said.Overloaded logging trucks had been identified as the main culprit for the damages costing millions of ringgit to the Keningau-Sapulut road, which connects the west and east coast from the southern route.According to Chan, the only answer that came out from previous enquiry on the matter was that the Road Transport Department would be building a Weighing Bridge or Rest Complex to monitor usage of the highway.
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It was also announced that the facility would be built over two hectares not far from the Maliau Basin but despite all of these, the completion date is still unknown.Kalabakan-Sapulut road is a logging road that passes through forest reserves in the late 1970s to early 1980s.
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Until today, he said, the road continued to be used largely by logging concessionaires along the highway from the Keningau-Sapulut region. Therefore, there is no way to stop the logging trucks from using the road, he said, adding however the Forestry Department should not wash its hands over the issue. "The logging vehicles and equipment are regulated by the Forestry law and this includes ensuring the logs on the logging trucks are not stacked exceeding the head, and that at least three strands of wire ropes are used to secure the logs, the lights are left blinking during the journey, canvas covers."Chan said it was feasible for Forestry officers to do the monitoring job on site to ensure that all the logging trucks are not overloaded, before entering the main road. He said assessment or monitoring could be done at visual observation, such as the length should not exceed two metres of the truck body and there should not be more than 52 cubic metres of logs per truck.The Forestry Department could slap fines of up to RM350,000 against those caught overloading. "This is nothing new as the Forestry Department has this administrative punitive power since seven years ago," he said.The Forestry Department has the moral obligation to monitor timber companies operating at the Kalabakan-Sapulut region which, with an export value of RM70 million from Kalabakan Log Pond annually, remained as one of the biggest timber revenue generating zones for Sabah.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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