KUALA LUMPUR: Close to RM50mil has been spent to repair road infrastructure damaged by floods in the peninsula, says the Works Ministry.
Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said infrastructure damages were recorded in nine locations, with two in Kelantan, five in Perak and two in Terengganu.
“There may also be more which have not been reported yet.
“In the peninsula, road repair works due to floods amounted to about RM45.37mil to date.
“This comprised pavement works, bridges as well as street lights and traffic lights,” he told reporters after attending the Ministry’s monthly assembly at Dewan Tan Sri Mahfoz Khalid here on Tuesday (Jan 14).
In Sabah and Sarawak, the minister said some RM56.2mil was spent on road repair works due to floods.
He also said close to RM40mil was spent to repair slopes owing to damages during the northeast monsoon.
The minister was responding to a question on infrastructure damages due to the ongoing northeast monsoon.
The northeast monsoon began in November last year and is expected to last until March this year.
Separately, he suggested that a merit system be implemented for concessionaires and contractors to improve accountability.
“This is not something new as we have discussed this before.
“The benefits are that it could serve as a form of benchmarking.
“This could encourage them to work harder in fulfilling their duties.
“We are studying this first. It must be done fairly,” he said.
Earlier in his speech, the minister said effectiveness in project management and road maintenance are among the main factors constantly evaluated by the people.
Besides proposing a merit system, he mulled introducing a digital management platform to ensure each aspect of projects are monitored transparently.
“Here, we can utilise big data systems to analyse the progress of a project and identify potential repair works before any issues arise,” he said.
