The state government, through Koridor Utiliti Selangor (Kusel), is seeking long-term project plans of at least two years from utility providers to better coordinate installation works.
Kusel is the one-stop agency for utility-related approvals, including installation permits, traffic management plans, road safety requirements and monitoring, as well as development of a utility database based on submissions from providers.
Selangor infrastructure and agriculture committee chairman Datuk Izham Hashim said the goal was to ensure utility works were carried out in a coordinated manner before road resurfacing was done.
“Once all works are completed, only then will road resurfacing be carried out.
“Roads that have been dug up and patched will not achieve the same quality as newly resurfaced roads,” he said.
He added that excavation on newly built roads would not be permitted, with new utility lines instead required to be placed along designated roadside corridors.
He was responding to Michelle Ng (PH-Subang Jaya) on roads being dug up just months after they had been paved.
Izham said the problem stemmed from the lack of coordination between utility providers and local authorities.
“In many areas, fibre optic cables, electricity lines and water pipes are installed at different times and locations, creating maintenance challenges.
“In some cases, this also affects drainage and contributes to flooding when water flow is obstructed by debris from incomplete works,” he said.
Responding to Ong Chun Wei (PH-Balakong) on delays of up to six months for utility permit approvals, Izham said several factors were involved.
These included incomplete applications, delayed payments after approval and technical coordination requirements involving multiple agencies and utility providers, he added.
