Highland folk happy with sealed Long Luping-Ba’Kelalan stretch
KUCHING: For many years, the abandoned logging road between Long Luping and Ba’Kelalan in Lawas is notorious for its appalling conditions. Well, not anymore.
Since last September, villagers and visitors have been commuting between Lawas and Ba’Kelalan with ease.
What used to take eight hours to two days — depending on the weather — to reach the highlands from Lawas, today the people can reach their destination in just four hours.
The dirt road between Long Luping and Ba’Kelalan, a 70km stretch often impassable after a heavy downpour, has been sealed using a technology called soil stabilisation.
A Ba’Kelalan community leader Tagal Paran, 78, said the upgraded road had cut down travel time by half and the people were delighted that they did not have to worry about being cut off from Lawas during the monsoon season.
“We hope more visitors will visit our scenic highlands which is also famous for its apple festival,” he told The Star when met in Kuala Lumpur recently.
He was among 30 community leaders and village elders from Ba’Kelalan and Bario who paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in Putrajaya to thank the nation’s top man for the road.
The RM52mil project, which also includes access roads to several villages, started in mid 2009 and was completed last September.
Ba’Kelalan is about 150km from Lawas. The stretch between Lawas and Long Luping remains a logging track but this is well-maintained by timber companies.
Tagal said villagers were grateful to the Federal Government for funding the project to upgrade the road, and the Defence Ministry for sending soldiers to complete the work through the ministry’s community outreach programme “Jiwa Murni”.
A political secretary to the Chief Minister, Kijan Toynbee said the Bario and Ba’Kelalan highlands had so much to offer in terms of eco-tourism but accessibility was an obstacle as the people could not rely on air travel alone as flights were limited.
“Therefore, it’s crucial for us to be connected by good roads. The highlands are ideal locations for movie filming and if we can have better accessibility by land, we can promote Bario and Ba’Kelalan extensively.”
The people hoped that the Government would also build a road to connect Bario and Ba’Kelalan, added Kijan who hails from Bario.
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