ECRL; MB Requests For Increased Involvement

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KUALA NERUS – Terengganu Mentri Besar Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar (pix) has urged the federal government to increase the scope of involvement of local contractors in the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project from 40% to 50%.

He said the state government welcomed the announcement to relaunch the ECRL project on July 25 but the 40% local contractors’ involvement was insufficient to mobilise the state’s economy.

He said the increase would also enable local contractors to engage more actively as they have the necessary expertise such as electrical work.

“We would like to know which areas of the 40% involvement of local contractors involves, because if it covers the whole project, it will not be enough for the economic movement in Terengganu.

“If possible we want to renegotiate again and ask the federal government to consider expanding this scope to at least half of the entire project in Terengganu,” he told reporters after attending the Kumpulan Aktivitis Media Independen (Kami) charity dinner here last night.

He added that the state government have taken proactive steps by compiling a list of qualified contractors and companies with the potential of participation in the ECRL project.

In another development, Ahmad Samsuri said the state government had instructed local authorities to monitor industrial and factory safety risks to avoid unwanted incidents.

He acknowledged that he had received complaints on social sites on the smell of pollution caused by factories’ activities in some places, but had not received official reports from related parties.

“However, we have met with the factory involved to find a way to neutralise the smell, although it is not illegal in terms of safety but people’s convenient also important.

“The state government also follows the regulations by implementing plant isolation in certain zones and there are also buffer zones,” he said. — Bernama