‘Pan Borneo Highway FB set up to receive complaints’
KUCHING: The Ministry of Works has set up a Pan Borneo Highway Facebook page to provide a channel for the public to voice their complaints or feedback relating to roads under the Pan Borneo Highway project.
Works Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said besides himself, the project’s communication team, consultants as well as contractors will also serve as partners in the Facebook page to ensure that immediate action can be taken upon receiving complaints.
“I hope that members of the public who wish to complain concerning problems on roads under the Pan Borneo Highway to share their views on this Facebook page and not via other pages or websites because it is ineffective and the problems will not be solved,” he told a press conference after chairing a roundtable discussion on the development and upgrading of the proposed Pan Borneo Highway at a leading hotel here yesterday.
According to him, action to be taken based upon the complaints posted on the Facebook page will follow his ministry’s standard operating procedure (SOP), under which they will respond within two hours after a complaint is received.
Nevertheless, he pointed out that the action will also be based on the type of complaints, saying a complaint concerning potholes will be addressed within 24 hours.
“For complaints involving the failure of road structure, this will take a longer period to address because it involves high cost.”
On the other hand, Fadillah said his ministry will not compromise with any contractor who has failed to implement the Traffic Management Programme in road work packages that are under their responsibility.
“All contractors are required to improve their Traffic Management Programme where the signs must be clear, the reflectors must be placed at the designated spots, and more blinkers to be placed along the road for the safety and comfort of road users particularly at night.”
The Petra Jaya MP also stressed that he would continue to conduct spot checks personally without informing the contractors or the media to ensure compliance.
“If I were to find that the contractor did not comply with the regulation, today is the last warning from my ministry after which we will be taking action by appointing a thirdparty contractor to ensure that there is compliance with the Traffic Management Programme including maintenance works.
“Apart from that, we will also deduct from the value of the contract that has been given to the contractor concerned,” he emphasised.
At the same time, Fadillah also advised road users to drive carefully when driving along roads that are under construction for the Pan Borneo Highway.
“Please comply with the signs and speed limit that have been set up at certain areas to avoid unforeseen circumstances.”
The roundtable discussion was attended by agencies and stakeholders involved in the Pan Borneo Highway project, including project delivery partners ( PDP), consultants and contractors.
Following the discussion, Fadillah said it was agreed that all SOPs set out in the project including compliance with agreements needed to be improved.
He also noted that the Pan Borneo Highway project is currently ahead of schedule, with only three work packages slightly behind schedule.