Work on stalled project to resume next week

02/02/2004 The Star  By SIRA HABIBU

Work on the stalled Sri Bayu low-cost apartment project in Bayan Lepas, Penang, should resume next week, Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Dr Hilmi Yahaya said.

He said a temporary stop work order had to be imposed after a group of disgruntled people created havoc at the work site recently.

“We are actively negotiating with the disgruntled former subcontractor who were not paid by the main contractor after the latter went bankrupt.

“The former subcontractor is not happy when the project developer, JKP (Bumi-putera Steering Committee), appointed a new contractor three weeks ago to finish the job, as the project was 95% completed,” he said, adding that the project which was initiated in 1990 was abandoned after the main contractor went bankrupt.

Dr Hilmi said this after witnessing the 110.74m long sago banner created by 40 students of Universiti Sains Malaysia School of Industrial Technology that made it into the Malaysia Book of Records.

Dr Hilmi said the former sub-contractor wanted JKP to pay RM3.7mil owed to them by the main contractor.

He added that it was not fair to the buyers of the 730 apartment units if the project was stalled further, “and the project is already 95% completed.”

“I prefer to settle this problem through negotiations, rather than taking it to court as it would take a longer time to be resolved,” he said, adding that if negotiations went well by next week the project could be completed in one month.