GEORGE TOWN, Oct 26 — The Penang Island City Council (MBPP) Mayor Datuk Yew Tung Seang has assured a concerned civil society group that the Bukit Kukus paired road project will not continue until the local authority is certain that the site is safe.
He said today the city council is equally concerned about the safety of the site in light of the fatal landslide last week that killed nine workers.
“We will not continue with the project until the various investigations into this incident has concluded and until we are certain that the conditions are safe,” he said after meeting three representatives from Penang Forum at City Hall here.
Yew agreed to meet with the Penang Forum representatives after the non-governmental organisation held a peaceful gathering in solidarity of the victims of the Bukit Kukus landslide and last year’s Tanjung Bungah landslide.
He accepted a statement from Penang Forum and listened to the views presented by Khoo Salma who represented the group.
Yew said currently, the focus is to let the various agencies including the state government and police conclude investigations into the incident.
“We have also formed a committee to conduct an internal inquiry into the landslide immediately after the incident to find out what happened,” he said.
He said the committee, which he is heading, has 10 members consisting of technical professionals.
He said on the day of the incident, MBPP had immediately issued a stop work order against the project contractor.
“We also demanded explanations from the project consultants and contractor, we have an engineering consultant and an independent checker to supervise the project,” he said.
He said it is a road infrastructure project and that if everyone was to play their role, the incident would not happen.
He said the main investigations are those conducted by the state’s special committee, the Department of Occupational Safety and Health, Construction Industry Development Board, and the police.
“Whatever the outcome of those investigations, we will go in line with it,” he said.
The Bukit Kukus landslide occurred at about 2pm on October 19, killing nine workers and injuring a few others.
Penang Forum and several other civil society groups have called for a moratorium on all hillside developments until the local authorities have the capability to monitor and ensure the safety of such projects.
