SIBU: The Sibu Lorry Association has appealed to the authority not to compound lorry owners for parking their vehicles outside the designated area.
Chairman Tiong Kung Lik said the association had received complaints from members claiming that their lorries or trailers had been summoned by the Road Transport Department last week for parking outside the Jalan Wawasan Sibu Lorry Association parking ground.
Speaking at a press conference yesterday (June 7), Tiong said that since part of the parking ground in question has been assigned to the Sarawak Energy Sibu office, lorry owners had no choice but to park their vehicles in the open space and the residential area.
“We recall that during a meeting on Sept 12, 2022, at the District Office, the enforcement unit of the Road Transport Department (JPJ) and traffic police had agreed not to take action or summon lorries that are parked outside the designated parking area,” he said.
Tiong said they had been parking their vehicles at the Jalan Wawasan parking ground in the last 12 years.
“I have also borrowed RM60,000 from members to put up fencing and filled up the place with gravel involving 3.5 acres out of the total eight acres. The authority suddenly without any formal letter asked us to move out. This is rather unfair,” he said.
Later, they were told that they could park their lorries in the industrial area in Jalan Ding Lik Kong.
However due to lack of security, lorry owners were against the suggestion.
He wants the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency (MACC) to investigate the matter (stopping them from parking in Jalan Wawasan).
“We also want the Sibu Municipal Council to approve our proposal to have the open area of the just dismantled Temporary Muhibbah Hacker Centre as our parking bay,” he added.
The association currently has 3,250 members with a total of 435 lorries.
