Sipitang Council to repair damaged concrete pavements
Published on: Wednesday, March 13, 2024
By: Sidney Skinner
The contractor’s workers in the process of taking apart the affected section of the pavement on Jalan Naparan.
SIPITANG District Council will step up efforts to maintain the concrete pavements around the town, including those near the “tamu (weekly market)” and the multipurpose hall in the Sindumin area.
This follows feedback about the exposed section at the base of the pavement on Jalan Naparan, where the market is held, and a loose metal grill in the walkway on Jalan Pekan Sindumin, near the hall.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Sipitang resident, who spoke out about the safety hazards posed by these irregularities, said pedestrian traffic was likely to pick up during this period, with many flocking to any Ramadan bazaars held at these locations.
Some planks were placed over ‘the hole’ in the pavement at one point.
The individual provided Hotline with the location of the “danger spots”. This information was forwarded to the Council.
A spokesman for the agency said it had been aware about “the hole” in the Jalan Naparan pavement.
“A contractor was appointed to make the necessary repairs some time ago,” he said.
ADVERTISEMENT
“He and his workers began attending to the damage on Friday. They initially cordoned off the site behind some security tape before getting down to business.
“The concrete around the area where the hole had formed was taken apart so that this part of the pavement could be rebuilt.”
ADVERTISEMENT
He said the Council would be keeping a close eye on progress of this work to ensure that the walkway was properly restored.
There is a drain running beneath both these pavements, as well as the one on Jalan Pekan Sindumin, according to him.
In the case of the latter, he said its staff would be sent to check on the condition of the covered drain near the hall.
“They will be asked to pay special attention to any metal grills which have been embedded into the pavement.
“Any which grills which are not sitting properly on the concrete walkway will be dealt with accordingly.”
Should it be warranted, he said, the Council would arrange to have the compromised sections of the pavement rebuilt, so that the grills didn’t come loose.
“This will be done once when our funds allow. In the meantime, we will have some security tape put up around the ‘danger spots’.
“We will try to have a sheet of metal or plywood placed temporarily over the grills in question before taking down the tape.”
The Council is in process of dealing with loose grills, at Jalan Pekan Sindumin.
When asked how often the covered drains and walkways in Sipitang were maintained, the spokesman said this was done as and when it became necessary to do so.
“We generally rely on feedback from the public to work out when these amenities need to be attended to.
“It also depends on whether the repairs are going to be a ‘big’ job or a ‘small’ one.”
He said the former was subject to constraints on the funding and manpower needed to carry out the work.
“The ‘small’ jobs can usually be accomplished within a span of 24 hours.”
Nevertheless, in light of the present pavement-related irregularities, he said, the Council’s staff had been asked to be more mindful of any damage to the walkways around the town.
MIASIN of Sipitang, pointed out the imminent danger posed by the exposed section of the pavement on Jalan Naparan.
“The hole is located towards the bottom of the walkway and anyone, who is unaware that it is there, may wind up twisting their ankle or worse,” he said.
“Can you imagine the tragedy that might occur if some senior citizen or expectant mum didn’t see where they were going?”
He said those going on foot also risked injury while using the pavement on Jalan Pekan Sindumin.
“If the grill were to flip while someone was treading on it, they could either wind up falling into the drain below or falling forward onto the concrete.”
Miasin could not understand how the local authorities could have turned a blind eye to these hazards and hoped they would do more to look after the safety of the public in the district.
Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
Daily Express Malaysia
