Public To Report Problematic Projects
The government has decided to let the people be the ‘eyes and the ears’ of the authorities in reporting contractors that abandon projects or hand over shoddy work. According to a report in leading papers today:
Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said this would be part of a code of ethics and a performance-appraisal system for contractors likely to be implemented next year.
He said it was aimed at preventing abuse of government projects.
The public could contact the Construction Industry Development Board Malaysia (CIDB) if they felt things were amiss with any government construction project.
The code, drawn up by contractor associations and government departments, requires contractors to finish their job on time and according to specifications.
Contractors will also have to sit for integrity courses.
This plan covers public projects only by the government, the more pressing issue for us is, is the government planning to enact anything to cover private home buyers in the future? There are plenty of these abandoned projects and poorly constructed homes around for everyone to see, maybe this is something to look into urgently.
Anyway, in an accompanying article, the article listed down the problematic projects under the 8th Malaysia Plan.
More than 2,000 projects abandoned under 8th Plan
A TOTAL of 2,326 abandoned projects under the Eighth Malaysia Plan has been brought forward to the Ninth Malaysia Plan.
• The RM165 million Kuching Prison remains unfinished after almost 10 years. Designed to ease congestion at the present 113-year- old Kuching Prison, the contract was awarded to WMM Holdings Sdn Bhd in 1997. It was to have been built by 2000. When the firm failed to meet the deadline, it was granted an extension till May 2001. When this passed, its services were terminated in July 2002. The Public Works Department, which took over, awarded the project to TSR Bina Sdn Bhd in September 2004. Work resumed in January last year. The company is to complete it by end of the year for RM54.7 million, but it appears that it may only be ready next year.
• After five extensions, the RM565 million Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah in Alor Star is almost ready and it is expected to be handed over to the Health Ministry after five postponements starting in 2002.
• The new Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex in Johor is delayed by another five months.
Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said the RM1.3 billion project, slated for completion next month, will be ready in February.• The problem-riddled Middle Ring Road 2 (MRR2) reopened to light traffic this month after cracks were spotted along the pillars in 2004. The cost of repairs is expected to exceed RM40 million. The MRR2 was closed the first time for three months from Aug 8, 2004, and reopened last November.
The decision to close the stretch for a second time came after a study by independent consultant Halcrow Group Limited of Britain found cracks along 31 of the 33 pillars.
• Construction of the Matrade building, which began in 1997, was only completed recently. The project’s original cost of RM167 million ballooned to RM287.5 million, with RM64.8 million spent on fixing shoddy work.
