Bus station is ready

The terminal BTS or intergrated transport terminal bandar tasik selatan is set to operate on 1 Mac 2011.

The terminate was opened for operation on 1 Jan but was rejected by the bus operator.The exact reasons was not openly revealed, but it seem many things were not ready.More than 50 operators had agreed to move and start the operation on 1 Mar.34 of the operators will be using e-tickets.

At last the counter are up and operating.

puduraya delayed again

The opening is delayed again to April 16, 2011. It was supposed to opened last year, then delay to 1 March and now 16 April.

Nong Chik said..' I dont think they will be able to complete the work by 1 Mach". I like it when he pushed the blame to the contractor. I wonder who select the contractor and how was it selected.

" we must put the people first, Pusuraya must be 100% ready and safe" he must be putting the politician cap, when he said he was putting the rakyat first.

He said the decision was based on the happening of ITT-BTS, which suffered the glitches. I was reading the coverage of the integrated terminal, there was no mention about the technical faults, and blame was on the bus operators. Now the truth is finally revealed. At that occassion, no mention about putting people first.

Remind me of the suffering when the new airport was opened in KLIA. Probably the politician were too concerned about keeping the records clean, at the expense of the public.

Green Tram for Malacca

Another good news for Malacca. They are going to get a green tram. The had received many.

a. Remember the eye of Malaysia, it was moved to Malacca to be removed by the owner due to non payment.

b.Malacca had the monorail only to be grounded due to technical reason within weeks of its operation.

Now, Malacca is getting the Green trams. It seem the federal government is putting a lot of efforts to help Malacca. There must be good reasons behind it. I wonder how much $$ per population was expended on Malacca.

Najib said the train will cost rm 272mil for a distant of 40 km.

The project will comply to Unesco world of heritage and developed by Mrails International and Chief Minister Incorporated.

Najib said that it is important for Malaysia to go green, that was why he support it,.. I wonder what will he say if the Kelantan People want it. Kelantan cant even get the oil royalty.

malaysian power station

Some of the Malaysian are starting to question the thinking by the government with regard to the power station and the implementation of some of the projects. Of course majority of the projects have the benefits. The question is always,.. Can they be done better....

The news in the star on 17 feb 2011 was about the decision to scrap the coal powered station at Lahat Datu, Sabah.

Quoted... "Sabah coal-powered plant plan is off
Feb 17, 2011 ... KOTA KINABALU: The proposed coal-fired power plant project in Lahad Datu has been scrapped after more than three years of controversy.
thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/2/17/nation/8078477&sec=nation "

I thought it does not need much of the thinking to make this decision. I wonder why it took 3 years for these highly paid people to decide.. three years is a long time.

Let is consider these facts:

1. Bakun, a project pushed to be implemented despite its many unanswere questions, are waiting it deliver its first kva output. Currently outputs is a big 000, the cost is a big 7 billions.
It has excess of power. Why cant you take it from here.

2. Najib is pushing for nuclear power, so decide on it, you want nuclear go for it. Why you need coal power?. Malaysia does not produce coal.

3. Malaysia is one of the main exporter or gas. Most countries tend to use its own resources. It is more strategic and save the foreign exchange. We do not leverage of our strength.

In a separate article it was written... " We have conveyed the good news (of the scrap of the project) to our international partners in acknowledging the outstanding leadership that had been shown"......

What is your opinion..?

Tilting Tower of Penang

A project by the Federal government, an arch to beautify the botanical garden of Penang is facing major problem. The authority was saying that it was only a cosmetic defect. However the general public can be taken for a ride as the tilting was noticeable by the naked eyes.

On another report the minister of tourism agreed to remove the arch. The reason quoted was.. ' the NGOs were against the arch ..Quoted "EORGE TOWN: The controversial Penang Botanic Gardens arches costing RM150,000 will be demolished, said Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen.

She said the decision came after majority of the people who frequented the place were of the view that the arches should be removed.

A total of 1,225 people took part in a public opinion poll, of which 71.3% or 873 people wanted the arches to be demolished.

The poll was conducted by Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) at the site from June 12 to 18.". No mention was made on the structural defect.

The story of the tilting tower of Penang is given here..

.... Quoted from the Star newspaper..

Thursday June 17, 2010

Arch tilt getting worse

By CHRISTINA CHIN
sgchris@thestar.com.my

GEORGE TOWN: The controversial Penang Botanic Gardens arch has now tilted by about 38cm, an increase of 25cm since last month, according to several non-governmental organisations.

Penang Heritage Trust member and former consultant engineer Ahmad Chik claimed that the tilt had worsened after its first reading of about 13cm in May.

“I don’t know how the authorities can describe it as a cosmetic defect when it is now tilting from both the major and minor exists,” he told reporters after measuring the tilt with a plumb line yesterday.

PHT spokesman Loh-Lim Lin Lee said “even by observing with the naked eye, you can see that the outer edges of the two arches are not aligned,” adding that the tilting arch was unsafe and must be removed.

Controversial arch: Kanda Kumar inspecting the tilting arch and wants an assurance people’s safety is not compromised.

“The question now is not merely about whether the arches are beautiful or ugly. This is a serious safety issue,” she said.

Also present were Friends of the Penang Botanic Gardens Society vice-president Datuk Tengku Idaura Tengku Ibrahim and Malaysian Nature Society Penang branch chairman D. Kanda Kumar.

Kanda Kumar urged the Tourism Ministry to engage “an independent consultant” to prove that the arch was safe.

“We have heard that a technical report was presented to the ministry but who prepared the report? Is it an independent body or the contractors themselves?” he asked.

On Monday, the ministry’s secretary-general Datuk Dr Ong Hong Peng told The Star that Universiti Sains Malaysia had been commissioned to conduct a “proper survey” on the two arches.

A check at the gardens revealed that the short survey questionnaire was mainly concerned with whether the structures were “unique” and “beautiful” and if they should be retained.

Last month, Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen asked the contractor to give her a detailed technical report on the arches being built near the entrance to the Botanic Gardens.

She said the ministry would not compromise on the safety of the people.

Since then, the State Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID), which is in charge of implementing the project to expand the gardens, had been directed to stop work on both arches.

DID director Anuar Yahya has since claimed that the foundation and structure of the arches were safe based on checks carried out by consultants.

He described the tilt of one of the arches as a “cosmetic defect, and not a structural one.”

A DID spokesman, when contacted yesterday, said he was not aware of the latest tilt but would conduct an immediate investigation.

Kuantan Port City

It was reported that Kuantan Port City (KPC Project) can attract 38 bil investment by 2020.

It is part of the ECER project (East Coast Economic Region) with cover Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang. The KPC project will transform the present Kuantan Port to a modern super port to meet the increasing demands created by the ECER. It will increase the through put to 40,000 tonnes and creates over 44,000 jobs and bring in rm9.3bil to the regions.

However I am a bit skeptic about the success of the project. Pahang is struggling to manage itself, it main resource, the timber are running out, and it did faced problem to manage it. The state and the menteri besar wer slapped by million ringgit summons as the state broke the contract with a timber company.

There is no sign of any progress to the ECER. In fact they were struggling to have the show case when Pak Lah came to visit them

The star carried the news:

Maritime - Project to boost east coast economy

14 Feb 2011 ... KPC forms one of the main components of the development corridor. ... To improve the water quality in KPC, a two-km water pipeline in Gebeng ...

thestar.com.my/maritime/story.asp?file=/2011/2/14/maritime/8037544&sec=maritime

KUALA LUMPUR: Kuantan Port City (KPC) is projected to attract up to RM38bil investments by 2020, and help the East Coast Economic Region (ECER) and the country’s first Special Economic Zone located within it, to be an industrial and logistics hub.

The ECER encompasses Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang as well as the Mersing district in Johor.

KPC forms one of the main components of the development corridor. Encompassing 12,667ha, the completed project will see a throughput of 24 million tonnes, create 44,785 jobs and contribute RM9.3bil to the local economy by 2020.....

serdang hospital falling ceilings

The government constructed buildings were hits by series of serious defects. We had seen the fallen science lab in Pahang followed by the buildings in Terengganu.

The latest was the ceiling at Sedang Hospital.

Isabelle Lai from the Star carried the news

----------------------------------------------------------------

SERDANG: An investigation will be carried out by the Public Works Department (JKR) to determine the cause of the ceiling collapse at the Serdang Hospital’s main lobby, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.

He said a thorough investigation was needed to find out exactly how and why three parts of the ceiling had collapsed.

“It might have been caused by a structural, design or maintenance failure. The investigation will help us know for sure,” he told reporters after visiting the site yesterday.

At the scene: Liow (left) at the Serdang Hospital yesterday, inspecting the site where the ceiling gave way on Sunday morning. Looking on are (from right) Serdang Hospital director Datuk Dr Ardi Hj Awang, Medical Development Division director Datuk Azmi Shafie and Selangor Health director Dr Rosnah Hadi.

Liow said the results of the investigation were expected in one to two weeks.

The ceiling had collapsed early on Sunday morning. No one was injured in the incident.

He added that any number of factors could have caused the collapse.

“For example, maybe it was water seepage that caused the ceiling to become heavier and collapse,” he said, adding that debris from the collapse had been collected for the investigation.

“The hospital will be able to claim repair costs if it is found to be a design failure since the design warranty is still valid.”

Liow praised the hospital administration’s prompt actions in blocking off the area to protect the public’s safety and posting signs to inform them of the damage.

“Access to the site has been blocked and an alternative route from the main lobby has been created through the cafeteria.

“Additional guards have been placed around the area as well,” he said.

He added that all hospital operations were running smoothly and were not affected by the ceiling collapse.

JKR to probe Serdang Hospital ceiling collapse

By ISABELLE LAI
isabellelai@thestar.com.my

pedestrian walkways

Most will be glad that pedestrian walkways are being built for the city dwellers and visitors. However, there is always the concerns by some of the peoples:

1. How the tenders were awarded.

2. The Maintenance.

These two issues were not responded by the minister Nong Chik.

The present close tender is not to the benefits of the people. Only selected people or companies were invited, some of which had no knowledge of the works involved.

There are always the possibility that it can be misused. This leads to:

a. people with connections, such as politician will get the project.

b. The cost can be double or even triple. Just check the auditor

Quoted..Tale of two telling reports

While the Malaysian Auditor General’s Report ran into 679 pages, the same report across the Causeway was just 59 pages. Singapore’s very transparent tender system could be the reason for the difference.. unquote

The start carry the news..

Monday February 14, 2011

MP questions cost of building pedestrian walkways in the city

By FAZLEENA AZIZ
fazleena@thestar.com.my

Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar is questioning the amount of money spent in constructing pedestrian walkways in the city.

She said the concerns on the cost, future maintenance and open tenders had remained unanswered by the Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Minister Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin and Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).

Nurul Izzah met reporters at the newly-opened walkway over Jalan Pinang and Jalan Kia Peng that connects the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) to the Impiana KLCC Hotel.

New facility: The RM10mil walkway over Jalan Pinang and Jalan Kia Peng in Kuala Lumpur.

It was launched by Raja Nong Chik recently.

The 142m walkway has disabled-friendly tact tiles, elevators and escalators on both ends and was funded by Petronas at a cost of RM0mil.

“The walkways in Singapore are maintained by the Urban Redevelop-ment Authority (URA) through an open tender system using a special construction cost formula.

She said with the increasing cost of living in the country, it was important that the money was spent wisely.

“I am happy that corporations have come in to build this pedestrian walkway but we want to know the actual cost borne by the companies.

“DBKL needs to facilitate this properly and be open to public scrutiny as well as see the viability in building these walkways,” she said.

Based on DBKL 2009 Budget, a total of 72 pedestrian walkways will be built, while another 35 is to be sponsored by companies.

Nong Chik has said that an open tender was carried out by KLCC Holdings Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Petronas.

The cost was borne by KLCC Holdings as part of their corporate social responsibility effort.

He said neither he nor the mayor were involved in the selection of the contractor.

“The walkway should not be compared with any normal pedestrian bridge because it has modern and safety features as well as is disabled-friendly,” he said.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Unfortunate the minister did not elaborate on the tender process.

The construction of government projects had been hits by problems . It ranged from falling buildings, falling roofs and ceilings to cost over-run. The examples were the national palace and the falling ceiling of the hospital in serdang:

JKR to probe Serdang Hospital ceiling collapse

1 Feb 2011 ... At the scene: Liow (left) at the Serdang Hospitalyesterday, inspecting the site where the ceiling gave way on Sunday morning. ...

thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/2/1/nation/7911518&sec=nation

sabah project

The deputy education minister made the announcement in Penang about the running sabah project involving the building of basic facilities.

It is recognized that the schools in sabah and sarawak are way behind when compared to their counterparts in the peninsular. It is collaborative efforts with rural and regional development ministry to ensure that all schools in sabah and sarawak are provided with facilities required. The minimum a school should have a a steady supply of clean water and electricity.

In another matter, the minister announced that 66 new school will be opened in 2011, and already 14 primary and 17 secondary schools had started their class in January 2011.

The malaysian school project had been an area of great confusion. We had seen under mahathir, the smart school project and billion of ringgit was wasted. Then we had the saga of of language for science and mathematics, when mahathir hastily started the english for science and mathematics and to be reverted back by Najib.

mosque at Kampung Baru get 20mil

Kampong Baru is in the limelight again. The last attempt was made by Mahathir to open and develop the area. I remember his touching speech mention the plights of the red indian in the "reserves" land in USA, and how he was building the people sentiments to support his way.

The people rejected his idea.

This new attempt is seem to be taken shape. Many were concerned about the possible lost of identity. We had seen one at Kampong Abdullah Hukum, now known as Mid Valley. Another is in the making, the Bangsar South, to be known as Bangsar South.

The process of Englishifying the original Malay name is popular for the pure profit and plain profit and development seem to the core thrust of 1 Malaysia.

This is the title of the article on page 3 of the new strait time:

RM20m upgrade for Masjid Jamek

6 Feb 2011 ... KUALA LUMPUR: The government, through 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), has allocated RM20 million to upgrade Masjid Jamek in Kampung Baru . www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/03msm/Article/

Najib made the announcement yesterday. He said the upgrade of the mosque is the iconic beginning for the entire redevelopment for Kampong Baru. It is the start of new era for the largest Malay settlement in the city.

The development will be on this principals:

1. The villagers will not be required to move out.
Najib gave the assurance that the villages will not be required to move out. "the villagers must remain there".

2. A new corporation will be set up, "kampung Baru Development Corporation" will be set up with representatives from Kampong Baru to ensure honest and transparent processes.

3. Tabung Haji and Permodalan National Bhd will be providing the "aid".

Kampung Baru is a 110 year old malay settlement made up of 7 villages in a land area of 90.2 ha. The estimate population is 35,000 people, majority are the Malays.