SIBU: The opening of Jalan Ngemah-Temalat has affected the express boat business here and in Kapit.
According to Sarawak Rivers Board (LSS) Kapit Division enforcement officer Jerry Lenggir, the impact was very significant after the road was opened to motorists.
“People no longer use express boats because Kapit already has its road, after the convoy led by Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg and his entourage drove through the road last week.
“We at LSS have witnessed this very significant change,” he said on Sunday.
Moreover, he said, since last week, the operations at the Passenger Terminal in Kapit has decreased and the situation was the same at the Sibu Passenger Terminal.
“These changes also have a huge impact on the sector, but we are still on duty as usual,” he explained.
Meanwhile, an express boat operator here who refused to be identified admitted that their operations has been affected since last week.
“We have to cancel certain departures due to lack of passengers.
“If this situation continues, we will probably stop our operations, but now we will continue to operate. We will wait until after discussions with other operators,” he added.
He revealed that passengers had decreased by up to 80 percent.
Similarly, delivery of goods via express boats decreased 95 percent.
“This is because people prefer to use land transport when sending necessities to Kapit,” he added, in a disappointed tone.
Meanwhile, Jalan Kanowit-Song-Kapit, especially in the Ngemah-Temalat section, has been seeing heavy traffic since its opening.
Many Sibu residents, whether using cars or motorcycles, are visiting Kapit, especially during the weekends.
Jalan Ngemah-Temalat links directly to Song and Kapit.
The road was the ‘missing link’ to the Kanowit-Song-Kapit route with a distance of 86KM. The road from Sibu to Kapit is 110km long.
