KUCHING: Sarawak plans to provide emergency council services outside office hours to tackle situations such as blocked drains and traffic congestion.

Second Minister of Resource Planning and Environment Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan said six local authorities had been identified to embark on this as a pilot project this year.

They are Padawan Municipal Council, Samarahan Municipal Council, Sri Aman District Council, Sibu Municipal Council, Miri City Council and Bintulu Development Authority.

“The councils will form a mobile squad, which will be available 24/7 for issues such as blocked drains, traffic jam, faulty street lights or fallen trees.

“This is just a pilot project but I think it’s very good. The moment they receive a complaint, they can respond immediately,” Awang Tengah told reporters after chairing a performance and service delivery transformation committee meeting at Wisma Bapa Malaysia here yesterday.

The provision of emergency services outside office hours is one area of concern the committee is focusing on this year to improve public service delivery and efficiency.

Another area is providing one-stop services to the public through integrated multi-service counters at all Urban Transformation Centres in the state.

“This concept aims to enhance customer experience and maximise the range of services at one location, where services offered by counters are not limited to their own agencies,” Awang Tengah said.

He also said the state government is looking into a policy and framework on the development and implementation of regulations in order to enhance the ease of doing business in Sarawak.

The framework will cover the improvement of new and existing business processes and systems in the state.

Besides improving service delivery, the committee will also focus on the state’s public relations strategy, quality education and human capital, societal well-being and Sarawak as a sports powerhouse.

“We will continue to engage neighbourhood watches to work with enforcement agencies in crime prevention,” Awang Tengah said.

On sports, he said the state needed a more structured and effective way of managing sports facilities and talents in order to become a powerhouse.

“Sports associations must be managed professionally. We should work with the Education Department to identify potential athletes in schools,” he added.