KUCHING: The long overdue drainage upgrading projects at Jalan Masjid, Jalan Market and Lebuh Java are now expected to be completed in June this year.
Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii said these upgrades in Padang Merdeka and its vicinity to mitigate flash floods in the area were originally scheduled to complete in January 2019.
“It is expected that the tender will be called within the next two weeks and the tender process will take up to two months so that the physical commencement of the project will be done as early as March 2022,” he said said in a Facebook post on Monday (Jan 10).
Dr Yii revealed that Kuching North City Commission (DBKU) is targeting the completion of the project and a public handover as early as June 2022.
“The delay of this chronic ‘sick project’ for more than two years right in the middle of the city is not only an eye sore, but has had caused so much inconvenience and has significantly affected the people working and doing business in the area, and even poses a threat to the safety and security of to road users in the area,” he said.
He said he had therefore requested the urgent intervention of DBKU mayor Datuk Junaidi Reduan to resolve this issue quickly.
“Based on the explanation by the council, the previous contractor was officially terminated on Sept 30, 2021 due to non-performance and Non-Conformance Report (NCR) that were not properly addressed.
“A special task-force was also set up to address any disputes including legal and contractual disputes due to the termination of the contract so that it does not delay the project any longer and not jeopardise the safety and security of this sick project.
“Since early Dec 2021, DBKU and their consultants have done a site evaluation to determine the current condition of the site, the viability of current work done and even an evaluation of the safety measures of the area to evaluate the site’s current situations and required specifications in order for rescue-work to progress,” he said.
Now that the evaluation is done, Dr Yii said the council would open the tender for a rescue contractor to intervene and continue the project.
He added that the mayor has also given his assurance that they have been looking into this issue urgently and that the task force will continue to monitor and act if the project falls behind schedule again.
“We also raised the issue of the safety of the current construction site and urged DBKU to address it by increasing necessary safety barriers, increase lighting in the area and also temporarily resurface the roads especially at the road diversion in front of the Klinik Kesihatan Jalan Masjid even before the tender process and physical construction is resumed.
“We also raised to the mayor the difficulties faced by the business owners in the area and requested them to consider some form of aid or compensation due to the long-delayed project that has significantly affected them,” he said.
Having said that, Dr Yii said that he is grateful for the openness of DBKU to have a dialogue.
“I strongly hope that this sick project will get its proper ‘medicine’ as soon as possible so that the disease will not affect the people or cause more harm to those around it,” he pointed out.
