THE Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium in Kuala Terengganu, which grabbed the headlines three years ago when a large part of its roof collapsed, has lost more than RM50mil in electrical wiring, equipment and other fittings to thieves.
The thefts were believed to have taken place since 2010 during clearing work of the debris caused by the collapsed roof, Berita Harian said in an exclusive report.
It was another blow to the RM292mil stadium at the Gong Badak Sports Complex, which will not be able to hold any major event for a long while after it last hosted the Malaysia Games (Sukma) in 2008.
An official of the stadium’s management agency told the daily that despite a police report lodged in December, the thefts had continued.
The paper’s investigative team found the stadium a sorry sight, with almost every facility damaged, including the ultra-modern bowling alley.
The team found the bowling alley had been broken into from the ceiling by cable thieves while the control room looked like a disaster zone.
The official said that following the roof collapse, minor damage was detected throughout the stadium. But due to neglect and the actions of irresponsible people entrusted to clean up the massive mess at the 50,000-seat stadium, the problem has now become acute.
State Secretary Datuk Mazlan Ngah said he was informed about the thefts last week and a meeting, involving the stadium management and relevant parties, would be called soon to solve the problem.-source The Star online
