AG's Report raises stink over crappy toilet design

AUDIT REPORT If you suffer from unpleasant bowel movements and an uncontrollable urge to ease yourself at the Kota Setar district land office complex, then you would be in for a rude shock.

The 2012 Auditor-General’s report, which was released yesterday, revealed the difficulty a person desperate need to answer nature’s call would encounter.

One of the squat toilets in the building was oddly aligned to one side of the cubicle, leaving barely enough foot space.

From one side of the wall, there was merely a margin of 16cm to the toilet but it was 36cm from the other side of the wall.

In response to the auditors, the Kedah state secretariat explained that the toilet design could not be helped due to an error in the initial phase of laying underground pipes.

"Changes could not be made to avoid any leakages," it said.

RS Iscon Corporation Sdn Bhd was appointed as the main contractor through open tender for the RM15.31 million complex commissioned by the state economic planning unit (Upen) of the Kedah state government.

The building was completed under the then Pakatan Rakyat-led state government though the project itself began under BN's rule.

The toilet was not the only design problem the complex faced, as its drive-through payment counter was also built too high, so much so that it was difficult for drivers to reach.

Furthermore, its server room was also too small and extra servers had to be placed outside the room, stated the report.

Repeated extensions

The project which should have been completed on Nov 10, 2010 was also delayed and was given repeated extensions until April 5, 2011.

The report found that the quality of work not up to standard and defects had started to appear on the building.

Worse still, the report stated that the state government had occupied the building starting May 15, 2012 even though a certificate of completion and compliance (CCC) had yet to be issued.

The CCC was only issued in June 2012.

The report advised Upen to better communicate with various agencies and departments when completing similar projects in future.