STUDENTS in two schools in Klang have blown the whistle on sub-standard construction of road kerbs along Jalan Raya Barat, which a construction firm is building under the Malaysian Road Records Information System (Marris) fund.
About 25 students from both secondary schools drew the attention of Klang Municipal Council (MPK) president Datuk Mohamad Yasid Bidin to the second-rate construction of the 1.1km road kerb via online.
The Marris fund is an annual allocation from the Federal Government that is given to local authorities for road works.
Mohamad Yasid visited the site opposite the Civil Defence Department and found that the comments made online were spot-on.
“The contractors have been briefed on what needs to be done. Slipshod jobs will not be tolerated. I noticed that the new kerb has been pushed forward and encroaches onto the road surface.
“I believe the contractor wanted to cut costs without doing a backfill but this has resulted in motorists hitting the kerb,” he said.
Mohamad Yasid ordered the contractors to demolish the kerb and rebuild it.
“The kerb is defective. It has to be rebuilt and must be pushed back by about 15cm to allow motorists to negotiate the road bend. MPK will not compromise on sub-standard work,” he said.
“Such shoddy work amounts to cheating. It damages the name of MPK.
“I want to assure the people of Klang that they have every right to question the project,” he said.
He added that he was glad that even students in their teens were observant and wanted good governance.
MPK Engineering Department director Zamri Othman said the council had received about RM70mil in Marris funds for 2016 and RM40.8mil had been spent.
“We are now upgrading the kerbs along a small section of Jalan Teluk Pulai, Jalan Raya Barat and the base of Lorong Perbandaran.
“Only one contractor is involved in the project which costs about RM350,000,” he said.
Meanwhile, an officer with the Selangor branch of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) said MACC was monitoring construction work around Klang as several anomalies had been noted.
Klang Consumer Association president Devadass Anjan said Mohamad Yasid’s decision to have the contractor rebuild the kerbs showed that he did not cover up for the contractor and demonstrated high ethical values.
“Council supervisors who must supervise the road works are failing to do so.
“Our association would like to suggest that the residents associations (RAs), who are the stakeholders in the neighbourhood, be included in the road works committee to help monitor the projects,” he said.
Devadass added that the RA representatives and supervisors must be rotated to ensure transparency and accountability.
