Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin said Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar’s “baseless” claim that the walkway connecting KLCC to Hotel Impiana KLCC was too costly had not factored amenities.
He said Nurul Izzah’s “unprofessional” cost-per-metre reckoning ignored conveniences like air-conditioning, escalators, elevators, CCTV cameras directly linked to the police and Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) and special tiles for the disabled.
“The bridge was also built with a steel structure as well as other high-quality construction materials,” Raja Nong Chik said in a press statement.
He added that costs would “certainly vary” between this walkway and those built elsewhere as the design depended on site specifications and pedestrian traffic.
The first-term minister also pointed out that neither Putrajaya nor DBKL were involved in the tender process for the walkway, which was fully funded by KLCC Holdings Sdn Bhd as part of its corporate social responsibility.
He stressed that KLCC Holdings, a subsidiary of state oil firm Petroliam Nasional (Petronas), had only appointed contractors after a rigorous tender process.
Nurul Izzah on Tuesday demanded that the government clarify why it had spent an “excessive” sum of RM10 million to construct the walkway, which translated to an average of RM70,422 to lay out each metre.
“The amount demands clarification as public monies were undoubtedly used — a Bernama report dated September 8, 2010 disclosed that Petronas contributed RM100 million for the two-phase construction — and therefore must be taken to task,” she had said in a statement.
Nurul Izzah further urged the government to reveal the total cost for maintenance and operations for the government’s plans to build more such walkways to connect major city roads to public transport terminals.
While she lauded the plans to create better accessibility for residents in the city, she noted that it was imperative that the government practised open tenders to ensure that it was putting taxpayers’ money to good use.
Nurul Izzah also pointed out that as the price of energy would eventually increase over time, the government should reveal the estimated cost to maintain the walkways.
National news agency Bernama reported earlier this week that the plan to construct 12 kilometres of pedestrian walkways would be ready by year-end.
Among the roads involved are Jalan Kia Peng, Jalan Raja Chulan, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Jalan Imbi, Jalan Perak, Jalan Sultan Ismail and the Bukit Nanas monorail station, Ampang Park LRT station and the Assyakirin Mosque. - Malaysian Insider
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