Concern over poor Mesilau road condition
Published on: Monday, October 30, 2023
By: Clarence Dol
.jpg "Concern over poor Mesilau road condition")
The Mesilau area in Kundasang.
Kundasang: Residents along the slopes of Mesilau are worried over the poor road conditions there.
Development of tourist lodgings labeled as “homestays” in the area are not helping the situation.
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They said the small, narrow and uneven stretch from Kundasang town to Mesilau is increasingly causing uneasiness, especially for the people living there.
Narrow and uneven road along the Kundasang-Mesilau route.
“After the earthquake in 2015, the authority promised to upgrade the road here in order to make it better for the residents as well as tourists.
“The condition is not improving but just the opposite. During peak season, and even during normal weekends, there will be traffic congestion along this route.
“People could take about one whole hour just to reach Ranau town from here. If that is not enough, we had to carefully manoeuvre the narrow and uneven road just to reach our destinations,” he said.
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The residents also voiced concern over plans by a businessman to develop a huge area for the purpose of constructing a homestay.
“The situation concerning the road is already bad enough at the moment.
The Bailey bridge that was built following the earthquake in 2015 is still not upgraded.
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The building of a new resort in Mesilau will certainly make the situation more dire. This is especially true with the opening soon SMK Kundasang secondary school.
“People living here are farmers who want to make a decent living by planting and selling their vegetables. They are facing much hardship due to the road conditions, as well as the traffic congestion.
“Further construction of buildings would disrupt the environment in this area. This would certainly have a negative impact on the villagers and planters here,” he said.
The residents urged the government to intervene in this matter so that a proper and thorough study is done on the road and bridge in Mesilau.
The government must also intervene in structure developments in the area so that it would not bring harm to the environment, apart from causing risks of landslides.
The problem of farmers in Kundasang had caught the attention of then Deputy Secretary General (Development) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry (MAFI) Malaysia, Datuk Badrul Hisham bin Mohd.
Badrul who is now Deputy Secretary General (Development) Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security paid a working visit to Kundasang along with 31 leaders from the Ministry, to review the problems faced by the upland vegetable growers for so long.
According to him, the problems that plague farmers such as poor road conditions and lack of clean water and electricity supply, among others, should have long been taken care of.
“Such basic amenities should have already been enjoyed by thousands who work on agricultural land, especially for the cultivation of various vegetables in the highlands of Kundasang.
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