Electric fencing along Pan Borneo Highway stretch to protect wildlife, says Shahelmey

KOTA KINABALU: Elephant and wildlife safety have been taken into consideration in the construction of Sabah’s stretch of the Pan Borneo Highway, said state Works Minister Datuk Seri Shahelmey Yahya.

He said for areas where there are risks of elephant or wildlife crossings, the designs have already and will take into account safety features for these animals.

He was responding to a question from Datuk Jonnybone Kurum (PBS-Telupid) who asked whether the ministry was considering installing electric fencing along the Telupid part of the road (package 31) to prevent elephants from crossing that part of road.

“Yes, all these are in the process of design and value management. Safety features for wildlife that may use that part of the Pan Borneo Highway have been included,” said Shahelmey.

He said so far, this three-phase project is still in its first phase, where a total of 35 packages (Phase 1A and Phase 1B) with some 706km of roads are included in the first phase.

He said in this first phase, four packages have been completed, 28 packages are under construction, two packages are under finalisation of acquisitions and one is awaiting the letter of agreement.

Shahelmey said for Phase 1A, the works are expected to be completed by October 2026 while Phase 1B is scheduled to be completed by September 2028.

He said for Phase 2, the stretch involves the Tamparuli-Ranau road (98km) while Phase 3 involves a 432km stretch of the Kimanis Keningau - Kalabakan - Tawau roads but this is still under planning.

Its implementation depends on the approval and financial status of the government, he said.

Nominated assemblyman Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee who posted the question, further asked on the compensations paid and challenges faced in land acquisitions, to which Shahelmey responded that a total of RM2.53bil in compensation has been paid.

As for challenges in land acquisition, he said the procedures in acquiring native customary lands contributed to delays, followed by the lack of human resources in the Land and Surveys Department for the purpose of land valuation and measuring in areas affected by the construction.