GEORGE TOWN: The Penang state government was taken to task over its failure to meet the deadline on the completion of the Jalan Bukit Kukus paired road project here.
The project was originally scheduled to be fully completed this year.
Commenting on news reports that only a portion of the road will be open to traffic next year, MCA vice chairman Wong Chin Chong said that it is 'awful' on the part of the state government.
"The contractor for the other part of the project has explained that a cash flow (problem) was the reason for the delay in completing the project.
“The question is, why did Public Works Committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari not take responsibility over (the delay)?
"Does this mean that the state government failed to monitor the project (and whether it was being) implemented properly?
"The state government should explain the matter in detail, rather than passing the (buck) to the contractors," he said in a statement today.
The RM545 million Jalan Bukit Kukus paired road project was previously put on hold following a landslide in October which claimed nine lives.
The Penang Island City Council (MBPP) and the Department of Safety and Health (Dosh) issued a stop-work order immediately following the disaster.
The order was later lifted and construction resumed in February.
The current project is 75 per cent complete and will be partially opened in the middle of next year, with the construction of a 200-metre road to connect Paya Terubong to the new highway.