Following concerns raised by residents of Taman Stutong Indah about the ongoing construction of the Autonomous Rapid Transit (ART) in their area, my special assistant, George Lam, has successfully assisted and mediated discussions between the residents, Sarawak Metro, and the contractors of the ART (Autonomous Rapid Transit) project, resulting in several immediate measures being agreed upon to address the residents’ concerns.
Sarawak Metro and the contractors have agreed to install metal hoardings to prevent dust and debris from spreading to the surrounding residential area during construction. They have also committed to improving traffic management in the area and to issuing prior notices to residents if there are any closures or diversions that could affect road access to the housing estate.
To maintain the cleanliness of the surrounding area, the contractors have instructed their workers to properly dispose of all construction waste and rubbish. Furthermore, the contractors will also direct their workers to avoid parking their vehicles directly in front of residential units in order to ensure better accessibility and privacy of the residents residing in the area.
In addition to these immediate measures, I will be seeking a dialogue session with Sarawak Metro, and the contractor designer consultant to have a proper discussion and explanation on the design and alignment of the ART track. It is vital for all stakeholders to be involved in this dialogue in order to ensure that all concerns are addressed in a transparent and constructive manner.
At the same time, my office will also be sending an official letter to Sarawak Metro outlining the above requests, including the call for Sarawak Metro to consider temporarily halting the construction works in this area until the dialogue session takes place and the residents’ concerns have been fully addressed.
As a Member of Parliament, I believe it is my duty to act as a bridge between the people and the authorities, ensuring that development projects are implemented responsibly with minimal disruption to the surrounding community. We recognise the importance of the ART project for the future development of Kuching, but we are equally committed to ensuring that the rights, comfort, and safety of residents are not compromised. Our office will continue to follow up on these matters and ensure that open communication is maintained between all parties involved, and we will continue to mediate such dialogue sessions whenever necessary, for the good of the people.