Kelantan government has decided to take over construction of Kota Baru Integrated Bus Terminal (KB Sentral) after negotiations with Perak Transit failed to reach an agreement.
Kelantan Deputy Mentri Besar Datuk Dr Mohamed Fadzli Hassan said the decision was made considering time constraints in completing the project.
“We have been negotiating with Perak Transit but faced several constraints, including demands that could not be fulfilled.
“The final round of negotiations took place last week, and on March 12 we decided that the government will take over the project,” he said.
Mohamed Fadzli said the state wanted KB Sentral to be ready alongside the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project as both needed to operate together.
“That is why we cannot wait any longer,” he told reporters after the state executive council meeting at Kota Darul Naim Complex, as reported by Bernama.
He also said the state government planned to add a few new features to the project and was optimistic about completing it within the two-year timeframe.
Earlier reports said Kelantan had told Perak Transit to decide whether to go ahead with the project under the set conditions or hand it back to the state government.
One of the main conditions was appointing China Communications Construction Co Ltd as the main contractor, as the company had a strong track record with the ECRL project.
On another matter, Mohamed Fadzli said the state government had tasked state youth, sports and non-governmental organisation and community unity committee chairman Zamakhshari Muhamad with overseeing the welfare of the Orang Asli community in Kelantan.
“We know the Orang Asli have a dedicated department, the Orang Asli Development Department (Jakoa), but they are still part of Kelantan and their welfare must be looked after.
“We hope to receive good cooperation from Jakoa in this effort,” he said.
