Putrajaya to call for Langat 2 tender to avoid water crisis

PUTRAJAYA, July 23 — Putrajaya has agreed to build the Langat 2 water treatment plant despite Selangor’s objections, with Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin saying today a tender will be called soon for the RM3.6 billion project.

He also said Putrajaya will refer the Selangor government’s planned takeover of Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Syabas) to the Attorney-General as it involved technicalities.

Muhyiddin (picture)said the Langat 2 water treatment plant was important to prevent Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya from reaching critical water supply levels by 2014.

But he acknowledged that until today, the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) state government had refused to grant permission to build Langat 2.

“But we still need to build it; though its cost is high we are prepared,” Muhyiddin told a press conference today here after chairing a meeting of the special Cabinet committee on the Selangor water issue here.

He said an open tender for the Langat 2 plant will be called next month.

“This means we can start work immediately as soon as permission (from the Selangor government) is granted,” he said.

He pointed out the Langat 2 project was crucial and could not be delayed.

“We don’t want any parties to assume that the federal government is at fault; we hope the Selangor government will grant us permission (to build Langat 2).”

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