Contractor of a hilltop development project defies warning

KUALA TERENGGANU: The Terengganu Government has expressed distress against the contractor of a hilltop development project in Cerung Lanjut here for disregarding appeals from officials to abide by Environmental Impact Assessment recommendations.

State Industrial, Commerce and Environment committee chairman Toh Chin Yaw said the state through its relevant agencies had written to the contractor to identify, evaluate and mitigate the effects of earthworks on hillslopes at the site.

“There is not much done by the contractor to prevent mudslides during the rainy season.
Recurring problem: A worker clearing mud after a landslide at the site in Kuala Terengganu recently.

“The contractor seems to defy warnings from the State Environment Department to ensure gradients are covered adequately with sheets to prevent landslips,” he said.

Toh said that checks showed the contractor has been lackadaisical in managing terrain stability to prevent negative social and environmental impacts.

Since the end of last year, he said that residents on the ground below the project were devastated by mudslides which covered their homes each time there was a heavy downpour.

The state faced the brunt of the people’s anger when their homes were hit by the mudslides, especially local leaders who were given an earful, he said.

Toh said the contractor was appointed by the Federal Govern-ment to develop a hilltop park with a panoramic view as a tourist attraction.
Precautions not taken: View of earthworks on the project.

The contractor failed to take precautionary measures although several homes and a surau had been covered in mud four times, he said.

Toh said the state was concerned over a high-rise apartment on the lower ground as a landslide could spell disaster for the dwellers.

He said the state and the city council would continue to press the contractor to implement safety procedures to prevent soil erosion.

Plant in Kemaman to provide jobs to 1,000 locals

KUALA TERENGGANU: Perwaja Steel Sdn Bhd’s plan to operate fully from Telok Kalong industrial zone, Kemaman is expected to provide jobs to some 1,000 locals.

Terengganu Mentri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said said the company had applied for a 125ha site from the state government to relocate its Gurun plant to Telok Kalong.

“It costs RM40mil annually to transport steel products from Gurun to its Telok Kalong complex in Kemaman,” he told reporters after chairing the state exco meeting here.

On another note, Ahmad said the Terengganu government would build 769 houses and repair 985 houses for the poor this year.

It would be done with the co-operation of Terengganu Tengah Development Authority (Ketengah) and the Rubber Industry Smallholders’ Development Authority (Risda).

He said the state government had allocated RM16mil to repair the roofs of houses belonging to the poor.

The housing programme for the poor would cost the three agencies an estimated RM56.4mil. — Bernama

Fed Gov to oversee state projects above RM50m

2009/07/21

All State Government projects costing RM50 million and above will be overseen by the federal government with immediate effect.

This is to prevent building flaws such as those affecting several sports facilities in Kuala Terengganu recently.

Earlier this month, the Works Ministry closed the Aquatic Centre in Batu Burok due to building flaws. In June it closed the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium in Gong Badak after its roof collapsed.

Public Works Department (PWD) director-general Datuk Seri Dr Judin Abdul Karim said although problems had cropped up in the building stage of the Aquatic Centre, causing the project to be delayed by about five months, the federal PWD was not notified.

Part Of Oil Royalty To Be Used For Kuala Terengganu's Development

KUALA TERENGGANU, July 19 (Bernama) -- Part of the oil royalty from the federal government will be allocated soon for more development projects in and around the state capital, also known as the Heritage Waterfront City.

Menteri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said said when the money had been received, the initial step taken would be to acquire land in the Layang and Tanjung areas up to the Astaka Supermarket.

"The land acquisition will cost hundreds of millions of ringgit due to the steep price of land in the areas as they are in the city centre," he told reporters at an event with the people in Kampung Alor Limbat, here, Sunday.

Ahmad said the state government would further develop Kuala Terengganu with more commercial areas where 50 per cent of the shoplots would be sold and the rest rented out to bumiputera traders.

He said Kuala Terengganu would also have more of other facilities as it was rapidly developing like other cities and major towns in the country.

On the state government's aid programme to help students with sight problem, Ahmad said so far 20 students had follow-up treatment at the Tun Hussein Eye Hospital in Petaling Jaya.

He said there were also those who required eye surgery by specialists overseas.

On another development, Ahmad said he was confident that Barisan Nasional could wrest back the Bukit Payung state seat and Marang parliamentary seat in the next general election.

He said this was based on the people's positive response to the programmes organised by the state government and the hard work put in by the Umno machinery itself.

The two seats were won by PAS in the last general election in 2008.

-- BERNAMA

Probe On Collapse Of Stadium's Roof Almost Completed

KUALA TERENGGANU, July 14 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has almost completed the investigation papers on the collapse of part of the roof at the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium, last month.

MACC Director (Intelligence Division) Datuk Mohd Jamidan Abdullah said so far, more than 90 per cent of the investigations, pertaining to elements of corruption, power abuse and misappropriation, had been carried out.

"We will complete the investigation papers as soon as possible," he said after closing the Seminar on Integrity in the Management of the Environment - Local Authorities for the northern zone, here Tuesday.

In the incident on June 2, almost 60 per cent of the roof structure of the stadium, which cost RM270 million and was opened by Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin on May 10, last year, collapsed.

Commenting further, Mohd Jamidan said the investigation involved everyone and would be comprehensive.

"We needed some time to finalise the investigation. Sometimes, the witnesses are abroad and so on," he said.

In another development, he said the SPRM's intelligence branch for the Eastern Zone would be created this year to check corruption in a more effective manner.

-- BERNAMA

Aquatic complex declared unsafe

KUALA TERENGGANU: The Works Ministry has ordered the Batu Burok Aquatic Complex to be closed to the public immediately until it is declared safe, said Minister Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor.

“We are concerned about the myriad defects. The facility will be temporarily closed until it is declared safe to be utilised,” he said.

He had a first-hand look at the problems at the complex here yesterday.

He was accompanied by Public Works Department director-general Datuk Seri Judin Abdul Karim.

Shaziman said there were visible leaks which could have caused the steel structure to corrode, although the venue was only opened last year.

The Aquatic complex under the purview of the Kuala Terengganu City Council was constructed at a cost of RM18mil and was used for the Malaysia Games last year.

On the probe on the collapse of the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium roof in early June, Shaziman said a preliminary report would be released in 10 days.

Shaziman said the PWD would also mobilise its engineers and architects to conduct periodical safety checks on all mega projects.

He said the checks would focus on the type of materials used and whether work was being carried out as scheduled.

Completion of highway delayed

KUALA TERENGGANU: The completion of the East Coast Highway's 11th phase will be delayed by at least a year after one of its contractors pulled out of the project, Menteri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said said yesterday.
The contractor cited the increasing price of raw materials.

The project was originally slated for completion in 2011, but it has now been postponed until May 2012.

"The Public Works Department will now re-tender the project to other contractors," he said after chairing the weekly executive council meeting here. NST