BUTTERWORTH, 5 Nov 2008: The Penang government will retract its stop-work order on the electric double-track railway line in the state soon, after all problems which cropped up due to the project implementation have been resolved.
The retraction would be made after the project contractor, MMC Corporation Berhad-Gamuda Berhad (MMC-Gamuda JV), undertakes measures to meet the specifications stipulated in the project, said Law Choo Kiang, who heads the state Agriculture and Agro-based Industry, Rural Development and Flood Mitigation Committee.
“They have taken action against all the problems [raised by the state government] and resolved almost all the problems,” he said when contacted today.
Law said a report on the matter would be sent to Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng later today.
On 22 Oct, the state government issued an order for MMG-Gamuda JV to stop work on the project immediately, following floods in Jawi which were said to be caused by the project works.
Following that, a committee chaired by Law was formed to monitor the project’s implementation.
State Drainage and Irrigation Department director Hanapi Mohamad Noor said following a meeting, involving the state government, Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad, MMC-Gamuda JV and several other government agencies, it was agreed that monitoring on the implementation of the double-track project be conducted at the relevant districts.
Through this mechanism, the contractor would have to refer to the relevant district agencies where the project was being implemented, he told reporters after launching an environmental campaign near Sungai Juru here today.
The electric double-track project between Ipoh and Padang Besar, stretching 329 km and costing RM12.485 billion, is expected to be ready in 2013. — Bernama
