KUALA LUMPUR: A sub-contractor's failure to carry out wiring works is the reason why construction of the combat diving pool at Iskandar Camp, Mersing, Johor has been delayed.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin (pic) said the Public Works Department (JKR) was in the process of appointing a new sub-contractor via an open tender.
"The combat diving pool project had a problem with the appointed sub-contractor who could not carry out electrical work and so on and had to find a replacement.
"Appointed contractors usually have the expertise and ability. It is not easy to find a replacement and the process needs to be tendered so it will take time. We have assurances from JKR that this will be given special attention," he said at a press conference after a site visit to the One Member, One House (Sasar) Housing Project in Sungai Besi here on Tuesday (April 16).
Mohamed Khaled said the project is now 98.4% complete.
He said that although the project is a Defence Ministry project, it is managed by JKR and the contractor involved will be penalised for any construction delays.
On Monday (April 16), His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia ordered those responsible for building the combat diving pool at Iskandar Camp, Mersing, Johor to explain the delay in its construction.
Sultan Ibrahim, who is also the Colonel Commandant of the Special Forces Group (GGK), said the pool should have been fully completed in December 2022 but was still under construction.
The ground-breaking ceremony for the pool was officiated by Sultan Ibrahim in May 2018.
The area is planned to have various facilities such as ship mock-ups, entry points for entry by air as well as many other basic operational support facilities essential for 21 GGK members to improve individual and team competence, especially in dealing with maritime threats.
Meanwhile, following the crisis in the Middle East involving Iran and Israel, Mohamed Khaled said the members and officers of Malaysian Battalion (Malbatt) 850-11 in Lebanon are reported to be safe.
"We received reports that all of them are safe... our team is not deployed in the border area between Lebanon and Israel but further in. But we always inform them to prioritise safety," he said. – Bernama
