BY BAVANI M

The fountain project may not be completed on time as the Prime Minister had requested for Turkish tiles which have not arrived.

MORE than 300 construction workers are working around the clock to ensure that the beautification work for the Heritage Quarters of the multi-million-ringgit River of Life (RoL) project is completed by the end of this month in time for the National Day parade.

The project, under Precinct 7 in Kuala Lumpur, carries a price tag of RM160,364,596mil and is 90% complete.

A visit to the site last week showed that workers were busy working well after 6pm.

The beautification project at Masjid Jamek is 90 ready. This is the courtyard outside the mosque.

It was drizzling, but construction workers were seen laying out tiles along the pavement behind the old courthouse building in Jalan Mahkamah, within the Dataran Merdeka Heritage zone.

A few metres away, another group of workers were spotted working on a garden project, the concept looked like a sunken garden; and a short distance away, another group was working on a water fountain project that was almost complete but missing the tiles.

Workers clad in hard helmets and bright vests were laying the groundwork for the fountain that looked promising from where we stood.

Sunken garden, musical fountain and Turkish pool

“We are waiting for the tiles from Turkey,’’ said Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) Project Management executive director Datuk Mahadi Che Ngah during a site visit with StarMetro, referring to the water fountain project.

“The Prime Minister specifically requested for tiles from Turkey, and it may not arrive in time for the launch (end of the month).

This white balustrade which is part of the old court house structure will be retained in some areas for nostalgic purposes.

“We will have to use something else there for the time being until the tiles arrive,’’ Mahadi said.

All this was happening behind the old courthouse in Jalan Mahkamah, where the once concrete parking lot will be fully pedestrianised and made into a beautiful courtyard with gardens and fountains.

“Some of the heritage buildings belonging to Tourism and Culture Ministry will also be upgraded in the future.

“It all looks messy now, but once the work is completed, this place is going to look really beautiful,’’ Mahadi said, adding that construction workers were working round the clock.

This structure behind Jalan Mahkamah will be the observation deck where visitors can observe the river.

“We want to see the place ready by end of the month for the National Day parade.

“We want people to see the iconic structures built by the Government when they attend the parade,” he said.

More than 260 workers were currently at the site, Mahadi said, adding that another 80 would be coming in the next few days.

The old white balustrades that were part of the old courthouse structure were removed during the construction but the National Heritage Department requested for them to be retained.

The old steps of Masjid Jamek, where the Klang and Gombak rivers meet, will feature a musical fountain.

“The structure is not classified as heritage because DBKL built it in the 1960s, but we decided to retain 20% of the structure for nostalgic purpose,’’ Mahadi said.

Along the same stretch, three steel and glass structures overlooking the Klang and Gombak rivers were being constructed.

Mahadi said this was going to be an information centre, a cafe, and a viewing deck.

Visitors, he said, could take a lift up to the platform of the viewing deck to look out over the rivers.

A musical fountain featuring a synchronised water-and-lights display at night will be constructed at the old steps leading to Masjid Jamek.

Along the edges of the boardwalk, there will be small blue pool for people to touch and feel the water. This would be treated water coming from the interceptor making it safe to touch.

Mahadi said the first phase of the beautification and upgrading project will be complemented with restaurants, cafes, souvenir shops and art galleries, and would also be a place for people to converge and hang out.

There are about 300 labourers working on the project.

“We will raise the water level of the river about two feet above the bund and it will be the focal point.

“So, we have a garden where people can stop by, rest on a bench, read a book, have a sandwich or enjoy their lunch before getting back to work,’’ he said.

The Heritage Quarters upgrade is part of the RoL project located in the heart of the city’s heritage zone.

Construction and engineering company Ekovest Bhd secured the job to undertake the project which is called the “Blue River Project”.

Its wholly-owned subsidiary, EkoRiver Construction Sdn Bhd received the letter of award on April from DBKL for the appointment of EkoRiver as the design and build contractor to undertake the project at a cost of RM79mil.

Workers busy laying tiles in Jalan Raja, which is part of the heritage zone. — Photos: DARRAN TAN/The Star

Ekovest has a 60% stake in the joint-venture company that was appointed in 2011 as the project delivery partner for the RoL project by the Government. Malaysian Resources Corp Bhd holds the remaining 40%.

Apart from Heritage Quarters, Precinct 7 also includes areas like St Mary’s Cathedral, Countdown Clock, Masjid Jamek, Panggung Bandaraya, HSBC, Leboh Pasar Besar, Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad, Central Market, Daya Bumi and Pasar Seni LRT areas.

There are 11 precincts starting with river corridors in Titiwangsa, Pekeliling, PWTC, Sime Darby loop, Dang Wangi, Raja Laut, Masjid Jamek, railway station, Brickfields, KL Sentral and Seputeh.

The RoL project is aimed at breathing new life into the polluted Klang and Gombak rivers as well as transforming the city into a vibrant hub for its citizens. It is expected to be completed by 2020.

There are three major components to the RM4.4bil project – river cleaning, river master planning and beautification, and river development.

Of the amount, RM3.4bil is for cleaning up the rivers, and RM1bil is for landscaping.