Johor issues termination notice for road project

KOTA TINGGI: Johor has issued a termination notice to the contractor of the Senai-Desaru Expressway (SDE) directional ramp to Bandar Penawar project worth RM79 million over delays in taking possession of the construction site.

State Public Works, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee chairman Mohd Solihan Badri said the contractor was supposed to begin work on Jan 6, but had failed to do so until now.

He said the contractor had two weeks to reply to the notice.

“The notice was issued today (Monday) and if the reply is not convincing and without any strong reason, we will terminate the contract. This is because we found that the contractor has not only failed to take possession of the site, but has also bought an insurance policy just two days ago.

“Besides the performance bond, the Social Security Organisation matter, site organisational chart and work plan have not been completed after the date of site possession,” he said after visiting the project site on Monday.

He said because of the contractor’s actions, the four-year project would unlikely be completed according to schedule.

“This is an example of not having good ethics as a contractor. This will cause a project to be delayed.”

He said besides the 1,546m directional ramp, the project also involved widening the Bandar Penawar-Kota Tinggi road.

He said the project was important to alleviate traffic congestion on the highway, especially during the festive season.

“Contractors need to know that taking possession of the site is mandatory. Work needs to be done on time so that the people’s money is not wasted and the work of officers involved is not interrupted.”

He said late delivery of the project would hamper development plans for the area.