GEORGE TOWN – A Gerakan leader has called on the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) to temporarily close a stretch of the Bukit Kukus paired road that is prone to floods until remedial works are completed.
The highway, billed as the highest elevated road in Malaysia, has come under scrutiny after rubbish was found along it and an instance of flash floods after a downpour two weeks ago.
With rains forecasted in the coming days, Gerakan vice-president Datuk Baljit Singh said it is timely to close the affected portion of the road until the council and its consultants resolve the issue.
MBPP president Datuk Yew Tung Seang had said the council needed one month to address the issue.
Baljit told The Vibes in an interview that barely a month into the highway’s opening, the state now has a problem with a part of the RM545 million Bukit Kukus paired road.
“Council secretary Rajendran Anthony went on record to say that a renowned engineering firm had given its assurance that the roads and the hillslopes are safe.
“Many people may forget the same Bukit Kukus bypass road here was the site of a fatal landslide in 2018 that claimed the lives of nine people.
“Have we also forgotten that when the December 30 opening date was deferred, state exco member Zairil Khir Johari had said some rectification work needed to be done by the developer upon MBPP’s inspection.”
Baljit believed that it was unfair for the council to blame the problem on rubbish and dried leaves.
“It is a convenient excuse.”
She also called for Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow to come clean over the costs of consultant fees and rectification work on the affected road. – The Vibes, February 12, 2022
