Delayed Water Treatment Plant Project: Kedah Fires Contractor

ALOR SETAR, Jan 22 (Bernama) -- The Kedah state government is terminating the contractor's services for the Sungai Limau Water Treatment Plant project in Baling because the contractor failed to complete the project within the set timeframe.

Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor said all government projects must adhere to standard operating procedures (SOPs) and regulations stipulated by law.

"We have followed the contractor termination process as law and regulations require. Every government project adheres to procurement SOPs and legal provisions.

"The contractor participated in an open tender and was selected through the open tender system, not appointed by the government. However, after winning the tender, certain issues arose, and they failed to complete the work," he told reporters today.

He was responding to Energy Transition and Water Transformation Deputy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir's statement yesterday, who expressed concerns over the project, which is believed to have shown no progress since last July last year.

During his third visit to the project site yesterday, Akmal Nasrullah said that none of the required components had been completed despite the project commencing in 2021.

Muhammad Sanusi added that the water treatment plant project is not the only one facing issues with contractors failing to complete work on schedule; other projects, such as flood mitigation plans, have also encountered similar problems in the past.

Nevertheless, he said that when dealing with problematic contractors, their termination must follow SOPs since their appointments were made legally through an open tender process.

-- BERNAMA