Works Ministry yet to receive Penang tunnel reports after 18 months

PETALING JAYA: The Works Ministry says it has yet to receive “a single page” of the tunnel reports promised by the Penang state government 18 months ago.

Works Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof (pic) said that Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng had written to him in April last year asking for the “tunnel to be changed to a bridge”.

“I told him that our ministry cannot approve (this) based on a two-page letter and had asked them to send me their feasibility and detailed design studies of the three roads and tunnel that cost them RM305mil in consultancy fees alone,” Fadillah said in a statement Monday.

He added that his ministry was “very eager and curious” to see the reports which had cost the Penang government RM305mil.

The Works Ministry has described that sum as “vastly over-priced”, and earlier this year, Fadillah said the Board of Engineers Malaysia had initially calculated that RM305mil was 400% higher than gazetted fees.

“However, he (Lim) did not send anything to me,” said Fadillah.

“He then gave the excuse that the studies were 83% completed, promised that it would be completed by the end of last year, and would send it to us once done.

“That did not happen,” he said.

When asked again about the delay in March this year, Fadillah said that Lim said that the reports were only 87% completed and promised they would be sent in six months.

“Again, the deadline has passed and as of today, we have yet to receive a single page of these reports,” said Fadillah.

“I find the delay very unusual as the project was awarded in April 2013,” he said.

Fadillah said construction has not yet started as the RM305mil reports were not ready.

He also said that if projects under his ministry had experienced similar delays, it would come under heavy criticism by the Opposition.