KOTA KINABALU: Some 50 houses will have to be demolished to make way for the Pan Borneo Highway stretch in the Kinabatangan district, says Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin.
He said the government will be providing alternative pieces of land to the affected house owners to rebuild their homes.
The move will require owners to meet a set of criteria to obtain the necessary compensation, taking into account the government’s financial capacity.
Bung, who is state Works Minister, said residents should not build houses too close to the road and its reserves as it will make it difficult to widen and upgrade the infrastructure as traffic flow increases in the future.
“Road reserves cannot be occupied. Owners should build a house a little farther from the road.
“A house may have been built beautifully but the cost (compensation) is not calculated according to the price of the house but based on the government’s financial ability,” he said in urging the people not to build houses arbitrarily on the side of the road.
Bung, who is also the Kinabatangan MP, was speaking to the media after meeting officers from the Kinabatangan district office.
The road through Kinabatangan district involves three packages that connect Sandakan-Kinabatangan-Beluran and Telupid districts in the east coast of Sabah.
The 58km stretch costs RM877mil.
In November last year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob launched three packages of the Sabah Pan Borneo Highway Project for east coast Sabah.
Apart from the Pan Borneo stretch, Bung said that another road construction project is being implemented in the Kinabatangan district, which connects Linayukan in Tongod (central Sabah) with Sinaron in interior Keningau.
The 40km road was started last year at a cost of RM320mil and is expected to be completed within three years.
“With this well-paved and well-built road network, it will certainly be a catalyst for the surrounding economy and it can connect Ranau, Kota Kinabalu, Kinabatangan and Pensiangan districts,” he added.