Sabah confident of taking over Pan Borneo Highway project

A number of contractors involved in the first phase of the Pan Borneo Highway in Sabah had their services terminated as the work was not up to mark. (Bernama pic)

KOTA KINABALU: The state government believes it is capable of taking over construction of the Pan Borneo Highway and save up to RM2 billion in the process, says Sabah Infrastructure Development Minister Peter Anthony.

He said the state government had already decided to shoulder the implementation of the project because of leakages under the first phase of the project.

The second phase is expected to begin soon.

Anthony said the state was waiting for the outcome of a meeting between the state Public Works Department and the federal works ministry tomorrow. A decision is expected to be made after that.

He said a new approach was needed to enable the project to progress smoothly and avoid the leakages that had taken place previously.

“I believe a decision will be made at the federal level and I am confident the management of the Pan Borneo Highway’s construction will be handed over fully to the state through the PWD.

“We have all the expertise to implement this project at the PWD level,” he told reporters here today.

Anthony said Sabah would make its recommendations for the Pan Borneo project to be handled completely by the state.

This was also in line with the advice from Chief Minister Shafie Apdal for the implementation to be spearheaded by the state Economic Planning Unit, the state finance ministry and the Chief Minister’s Department.

Anthony said the services of a number of contractors involved in the first phase of the project had been terminated because their work was not up to mark. - FMT