FOR years, residents of Kampung Sengat and Taman Bersatu crossed the busy junction on Jalan Simpang Pulai in trepidation on their way home, hoping that they would not be involved in an accident while doing so.

Kampung Sengat village chief Hassan Mohd Noor said with some 3,000 residents from the area and an estimated 10,000 vehicles using the junction in Ipoh on a daily basis, accidents occurred frequently.

“The spot is especially congested on Fridays when there are Friday prayers and a pasar malam. There is also a school nearby.

“We have been asking for traffic lights to be installed at the junction for years but to no avail.

“As a result, some 20 lives have been lost over the last 10 years or so,” said Hassan.

The residents’ plight was finally heard when the matter was conveyed to National Unity and Integration in the Prime Minister’s Department advisor Datuk Heng Seai Kie, earlier this year.

According to Heng, the residents’ grievances were brought to her attention during a Meet the People event with the Kampung Sengat community on May 24.

Almost immediately, Heng approached Works Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof for help and a special RM400,000 allocation was approved in principle by the latter on June 25.

“Work to put up traffic lights along the federal route commenced on Oct 1 after the allocation was handed over to the Kinta District Public Works Department in August,” Heng said during a ceremony where she activated the traffic lights.

Hitting out at certain quarters for claiming her efforts and that of the Barisan Nasional government as their own, Heng added: “I urge the Opposition to practise ethics in politics. I hope with this we have set the record straight because the rakyat has the right to know the truth.”

Gopeng Umno Division chairman Datuk Hamzah Mohd Kassim, who was also present, said unlike the Opposition, the Government and its leaders “do and mean what they say”.

“All these are the work of Datuk Heng and not the Opposition as claimed,” he said.

-The Star-