IPOH: Any excavation or groundwork on road reserves in Perak now strictly requires a permit and approval from the Public Works Department (JKR) to prevent overlapping utility projects and accidental pipe strikes.
Speaking at a town hall session on Tuesday (Aug 11), Perak Infrastructure Committee Chairman Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin announced that Koridor Utiliti Darul Ridzuan (KUDR) will partner with the department to map underground cables and pipelines before approving any digging applications.
Mohammad Nizar stressed that tighter coordination is vital to avoid catastrophic accidents, citing the Putra Heights gas pipeline tragedy. He noted that Perak hosts a 250km gas pipeline stretching from Tanjung Malim to Kerian—significantly longer than the 30km stretch involved in the Putra Heights incident.
Beyond underground safety, Mohammad Nizar admonished contractors who perform substandard road resurfacing, warning that choosing cheap subcontractors can cause roads to cave in within weeks.
Addressing the issue of sinking roads after pipe repairs, the department’s Perak Director Zamri Mat Kasim explained that damage often occurs when contractors fail to completely remove soft road base material before paving, causing the surface to collapse regardless of asphalt thickness.
