THE contractor of a failed upgrade project on a playground in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, has been instructed to provide a recovery plan soon.
Mayor Datuk Mohamad Zahri Samingon made the order after seeing the poor condition of the playground in Jalan SS23/7, Taman SEA.
The upgrade project is scheduled to be completed this July.
He made the site visit after the matter was raised by councillor Quratulain Atiqah Norzahirul Anuar at MBPJ’s full council meeting in March.
Thanking Quratulain for highlighting the issue, Mohamad Zahri had said at the meeting that he could not accept the contractor’s bad work.
Promising to investigate, he said that he had previously sacked contractors over substandard workmanship even though their projects were at 95% completion.
Mohamad Zahri said that some projects resulted in more problems than expected and this had to stop.
At the full board, Quratulain cited the contractor’s poor workmanship and failure to meet deadlines, adding that several payments had already been made.
Quratulain said the contractor and those tasked with supervising the project have betrayed the trust of concerned residents and MBPJ.
“I have raised this issue several times at council meetings since the project was implemented in 2025,” she had said, noting that polysheets and empty cement bags had also been buried at the field.
“When I asked the supervisor about it, he said it was done by the workers and claimed he had no knowledge of the matter.”
Much of the project remained incomplete with only about 30% of the work done, she added.
Quratulain had also suggested MBPJ conduct thorough background checks of future contractors and reject those blacklisted by government agencies.
“Impose a waiting period of two years before reconsidering such contractors.
“Ensure companies have clear profiles, relevant experience, good track record and stable finances.”
Quratulain also asked MBPJ to enforce strict timelines for projects, including issuing warnings and terminating contracts for failure to meet deadlines.
“Implement staggered payments based on completed work, to ensure quality and adherence to schedules.
“Overall, the aim is to ensure high quality, accountability and better protection for residents.” — By SHEILA SRI PRIYA
