THE issue of wayleave has become an obstacle in the state’s quest to achieve total coverage in water, electricity and telecommunications supplies.
According to Utility and Telecommunications Minister Datuk Julaihi Narawi, this has become one of the few challenges faced by his ministry.
“With that, I call on all stakeholders to work together to address this issue.
“I hope a policy on solving the problem of wayleave can be provided in the near future through the implementation of the utility corridor,” he said when presenting the challenges and obstacles encountered by his ministry during his ministerial winding up speech at the DUN sitting on Tuesday (May 24).
As Sarawak’s mobile coverage is still low, he said his ministry will request for more Universal Service Provision (USP) funds from Putrajaya to be allocated to Sarawak to expand the state’s telecommunications coverage.
“The total budget required to implement telecommunications initiatives is estimated at more than RM5.9 billion to achieve 99.9 per cent coverage by 2030,” he revealed.
Apart from that, Julaihi noted that disruption of utility and telecommunication supplies is also becoming rampant as a result of vandalism.
Among the frequent problems of vandalism are theft of electrical cables, transformers and electrical components; theft of water supply equipment such as water metres, electrical cables, bolts and nuts for water tanks and water pipes, as well as water supply system components; and theft of fibre optic cables and telecommunication components.”
Through electrical theft alone, he said Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) has suffered losses of RM665 million for the period of 2017 to April 2022.
“Enforcement actions are always carried out to curb theft cases, including taking legal action. A total of 23 cases have been brought to court where 18 cases have pleaded guilty and five cases are still awaiting trial.
“I call on the people to help and cultivate awareness to combat this crime.
“Residents of the surrounding areas and the general public can also help the government monitor cases of vandalism and theft of electricity by reporting to the relevant authorities,” he urged.
