Buffalo cart spurs new RM800,000 road for Pitas
Published on: Thursday, February 26, 2015
Kota Kinabalu: Residents of remote Kg Niatang in Pitas can look forward to a better road infrastructure into their settlement soon, thanks to quick intervention by Pitas Assemblyman Datuk Bolkiah Ismail.An article which appeared in the Daily Express on Feb 24 about a semi paralysed senior citizen, Bojong Mokiling, being transported in a plank-and-board cart by a buffalo to seek medical treatment, apparently put things into motion.Bolkiah, who is also Tourism, Culture and Environment Assistant Minister, said after reading the article, he met with the Assistant District Officer of Pitas and district engineer of the Public Works Department (PWD) on the same day to discuss the matter.
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Following the discussion, he said an application to build a new 2km road to Niatang was mooted."The road will cost about RM800,000 to build," he said, adding that the application would be forwarded to the relevant authorities within this week.He said the project to build the road would be applied via two channels - through the PWD and the Chief Minister's Department (CMD)."Whichever (approval) comes first does not matter. What's important is that the road is built," he said.
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He said despite Kg Niatang not being a registered settlement under the Pitas District Office, the plight of the population there is still the responsibility of the government.He said there are only six families comprising 50 family members who are currently residing in the village.
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Albert Madin, a son-in-law to Bojong Mokiling, said his wife's siblings built the makeshift cart and had it pulled by a buffalo so that they could send their father to seek treatment from a Chinese physician.The elderly man had been getting medical treatment from a government-run hospital, he said, adding his condition however seemed to be getting worse."So, his children decided to give Chinese treatment a try," he said.He said the distance from the village to the main road where their vehicles were parked, is about 2km.The condition of the road into Niatang is so bad, he said, that getting a small car like a Kancil in, is simply impossible even during the dry season.On the day they sent Bojong to the Chinese physician, there was no four-wheel-drive vehicle around, he said.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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