Three Year Delay In Sewerage Project Not Acceptable Says Saifuddin

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Work being done to the underground level as part of the Bayan Baru sewerage system upgrade project. (Twitter pic)GEORGE TOWN: A Penang state backbencher has questioned the three-year delay in a RM171 million sewerage piping project in Bayan Baru, with its open pits posing a danger to motorists there.
Saifuddin Nasution Ismail (PH-Pantai Jerejak) said the federal government project began in October 2015 and was supposed to have been completed in 2018.
He said the project had been given five extensions since 2018, with the latest one seeing an extension to Jan 3 this year.
“The project has been delayed for 328 days since, and the penalty is RM32,000 a day. The state government must push the federal sewerage services department (JPP) to hurry up.

“We want to know why this project is taking so long to complete?” the PKR secretary-general said when debating the 2022 Penang budget.
Saifuddin said the project had caused a lot of hardship to his constituents, causing accidents as nine open pits by the roadsides have yet to be covered up.
He said the contractors had often given the excuse that they had issues with the relocation of utility cables and discovery of “hard material”.
According to JPP’s website, the sewerage project could handle 650,000 PE (population equivalent) and was supposed to be completed in May 2019.
The project was allocated RM440,500 and was supposed to improve the water quality of Sungai Kluang, with clean water being discharged from the Bayan Baru sewerage treatment plant.
Besides the piping, the treatment plant was to receive an upgrade to serve the Bayan Baru, Sungai Ara, Bukit Jambul, Sungai Dua, Sungai Nibong, Batu Uban and Bayan Lepas Free Trade Zone population. - FMT

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