KUALA LUMPUR: The Works Ministry (KKR) has approved all applications from the Sabah Public Works Department (JKR) for the maintenance of street lights and traffic lights for this year, with a total allocation of RM9.7 million.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Deputy Works Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan announced that the maintenance work would be carried out in phases. The first phase involved an allocation of RM7 million, which was approved in January, while the second phase involved an additional RM2.7 million approved in August.

“For Tawau district, RM1.05 million has been approved to address the backlog of street light maintenance. Through this allocation, many street lights have been repaired, and issues of poorly lit roads in high-risk areas have been addressed,” Ahmad stated. This response came as an answer to a question from Lo Su Fui (GRS-Tawau) regarding the assurance of allocation to resolve street light maintenance issues for Federal roads in Tawau, which had not received funding since 2022,
leading to very dark roads and accidents.

Ahmad further mentioned that in 2022, KKR had approved RM1.7 million for street light and traffic light maintenance in Sabah. For 2023, the approved amount stands at RM1.4 million. He also addressed the assumption that unmaintained street lights were the direct cause of road accidents, stating that this was not entirely accurate.

80 percent of accidents are caused by negligence, 13 percent by road surface issues, and 7 percent by vehicle conditions,” he added.