KUALA LUMPUR: There was "clear mismanagement" in the construction of four incinerators costing RM150mil mentioned in the latest Auditor-General's Report, said Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
According to the A-G, the incinerators were built in Langkawi, Pangkor, Tioman and Cameron Highlands to ensure better waste management in popular tourist areas but only the one in Pangkor is still operating.
PAC chairman Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed said the Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Ministry should act on those responsible for the incinerator projects and take measures to ensure such issues do not recur.
“We do not know if there were any elements of corruption in this case. The ministry should look into it,” he told a press conference when releasing a report on the incinerators.
In the PAC report, it suggested that action be taken against the Ministry's secretary-general, the director of the National Solid Waste Management Department, project contractor XCN Technology Sdn Bhd (XCNT), UTM expert Prof Dr Rozainee Taib and Malaysian Industry Government Group for High Technology principal analyst Dr Sivapalan Katsiravale who were involved in the decision making process of the project.
"This is a question of planning - if the planning was done properly, the right technology used and proper execution, there wouldn't be a problem to successfully complete the projects," Nur Jazlan told a press conference.
He added that the ministry failed to carry out its responsibility in the choice of technology offered by the projects' contractor.
"The evaluation of the technology was based on paperwork only and those in charge did not carry out a site visit at the pilot project in Kuala Terengganu and Perwaja Steel as well as (to see) the prototype in Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM)," he said.
The paperwork submitted by XCNT was based on its previous projects with Perwaja Steel and UiTM, both of which ceased to function by 2008.
Some of the other issues raised in the report were the awarding of the project via direct contract instead of open tender, unreasonable time extension given to the contractor, non-compliance of environmental laws and undertaking a proper review of incinerators before the awarding of projects.
Limited time offer:
Just RM5 per month.
