Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah (second left) presenting a letter of appreciation to state Public Works Department director Datuk Richard Tajan.
KUCHING: Sarawak's Infrastructure and Port Development Ministry is targeting zero sick projects next year, says its minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah.
He said the ministry had reduced the number of sick projects from 96 in January last year to 17 this year.
To deal with the issue, he said the one-month rule had been implemented where contractors must begin work at the site within a month of the project handover.
"Upon failure to comply, we will take action, including contract termination," he said at the ministry's appreciation and pre-Christmas gathering here on Thursday (Dec 14) night.
Uggah, who is also Deputy Premier, said the ministry was also working towards the tabling of the Single Port Authority Bill at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly sitting next May.
ALSO READ: No more delays or excuses for Sabah infrastructure projects, says PM
"We have to prepare the mechanism and amalgamation of all five port authorities - Miri, Samalaju, Rajang, Tanjung Manis and Kuching.
"From there, we have to enhance our monitoring and implementation system," he said.
On this year's achievements, Uggah said the state Public Works Department's workforce capacity had been upgraded with 414 new posts.
"This will allow the divisional offices to cope with increasing workload more efficiently and provide better service delivery," he said.
ALSO READ: Sarawak to fast-track infrastructure projects in rural areas of Baram
In addition, he said the ministry had set up a rural infrastructure maintenance unit in the Baram area as a pilot project.
"If it proves to be successful, we will expand this to other areas in Sarawak. This unit is critical for us to provide service to the people," he said.
Another notable achievement was the return of Bintulu Port from the Federal Government to the state, Uggah said.
He said negotiations on the terms for the Bintulu Port handover were targeted to be settled by July next year.
