Hardship as Ranau roads impassable

RANAU: Following incessant rain for 24 hours since Friday, people here, especially villagers in far-flung areas, were faced with hardship when the roads in their villages became impassable even for vehicles.

Late Saturday evening, the road in Kg Tanid Malinsau gave way completely, causing hundreds of villagers unable to go on with their daily trip, including sending agricultural produce to the market.

Apart from that, villagers in Kg Tagibang as well as surrounding villages such as Kg Garung, Kg Mongkosulap, Kg Togop Alang, Kg Gunsapou and Kg Pugi faced similar problems when the roads became muddy and slippery. These villages are situated about 100km from Ranau town.

Among incidents faced by villagers here was one which involved the carrying of a dead relative in a coffin where family members had to walk on foot for four kilometres to the burial ground because the road was impassable for vehicles.

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Commenting on the issue, PKR Angkatan Muda Keadilan (AMK) Ranau, Handy Micky, urged the state and federal governments to speed up repair and upgrading works on the roads in the district that have been neglected all these years.

“The relevant authorities must accelerate in resolving this issue which is long overdue. People here have missed out on infrastructure development since the beginning.

“They need to move at par with other villages in the country so that they too can surge the economy of this region, in line with the new Government’s pledge,” he said.

A former member of the Kg Tagibang Village Development and Security Committee said the road problem had been raised many times before but till today there has been no positive effort from the authorities.

According to him, the roads need to be upgraded with a proper drainage system, including upgrading the “vanishing” bridge (jambatan Timbul Tenggalam) across the Nawanon Lobou Kieyep River.

“This is crucial for the convenience, comfort and safety of the villagers, including teachers and students of SK Tagibang, SMK Timbua and SMK Lohan. Other than that, the road is also the people’s route to get treatment at the Timbua Health Clinic,” he said.

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Meanwhile, Ranau Public Works Department (JKR) Chief Mac Glen Frederik Lojuman, who confirmed the erosion incident near Kg Tanid Malinsau, said his department had ordered the contractor concerned to do the necessary maintenance immediately.

“Yes, the incident occurred following continuous rain. We have instructed the contractor to dump gravel on the affected area and install cross culverts underneath the road in order to prevent similar incidents from happening,” he said. - Clarence GD

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