Not our purview, says Works Department on 'sinking' Bandar Prai Jaya

 

The Public Works Department (PWD) has passed the buck of the “sinking ground” problems at Bandar Prai Jaya in Penang to the Seberang Prai City Council (MBSP) as the roads in the township are not under the department’s jurisdiction.

A PWD spokesperson in a WhatsApp message to Malaysiakini said that all building structures in the Megamall area were completed about 20 years ago and have been in operation since then. As a result, roads in the area are under the supervision of the MBSP, not PWD.

The spokesperson added that PWD only supervises federal roads, main state roads, industrial roads, and roads that connect government premises.

“The sinking grounds on the side of the building along with the service roads in the area may have been due to the soil treatment process that was not carried out properly before the building structure in the area was built.

“However, the complainant needs to apply for PWD’s help to check the level of stability of the land and structure in the area and the matter will be referred to the Forensic Unit of the PWD,” he added.

The PWD spokesperson further added the Prai toll plaza along the Butterworth Outer Ring Road (BORR), Sungai Nyior toll plaza along the Butterworth-Kulim Expressway (BKE), and the Rest and Recreation (R&R) complex in Bagan Ajam on the BORR, which is located along the coastline in Butterworth, were supervised by the Malaysian Highway Authority (MHA).

PWD’s response was following a Malaysiakini report on July 29, which highlighted sinking grounds affecting several structures in Seberang Perai Utara and Seberang Prai Tengah.

The Megamall Shopping Complex in Bandar Prai Jaya was particularly badly affected by the sinking soil, with the gap between the structural beams and the ground as wide as 1m in some places. Drainage systems in the area were also damaged.

Other affected structures include the Prai toll plaza along the BORR, the Sungai Nyior toll plaza on the Butterworth-Kulim Expressway, and the R&R complex in Bagan Ajam on the BORR, which is located along the coastline in Butterworth.

Attempts to reach the Malaysian Highway Authority’s northern region office in Penang for comments failed.

The Bandar Prai Jaya project was undertaken by Penas Corporation Berhad, but the company wound up several years after the completion of the project.

In another development, the Malaysian Highway Authority closed the BORR stretch between the junction at the North Butterworth Container Terminal and the Bagan Ajam toll plaza, which was also closed after a sinkhole was found by motorists on Aug 2.

Still no strata titles

Meanwhile, Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy, who is also the Prai assemblyperson, said the relevant authorities must address the issue and ensure the safety of shoppers who patronise the mall, as well as motorists using the highway.

Ramasamy added the entire project was carried out in a hush-hush manner in the late 1990s and early 2000s where former residents of Kampung Teluk and Prye Estate were relocated to the newly-built flats.

“The developer that winded up the company several years after the completion of the project did many blunders as the owners of the commercial and residential units could not obtain their strata title, and I am in discussions with MBSP to help B40 residents of the low-cost flats in Block B1 and Block B2 obtain their strata titles.

“This could have been the failure of the then BN state government that had failed to ensure that any development projects should comply with the requirement of the local authorities. The (current) state (government) had approved RM800,000 for B40 residents to obtain their strata titles,” Ramasamy added.

Ramasamy, who is also a state executive council member, said MBSP could have held the developer responsible for the structural defects if they occurred within the two-year period after the completion of the project, but the developer in this case had wound up the company several years after completion.

Ramasamy said there were other problems at the low-cost flats built by the developer for the former residents of Kampung Teluk and Prye Estate workers, and as such it was difficult to issue strata titles for the unit owners at the Teluk Indah flats in Bandar Prai Jaya.

“I am discussing with MBSP officers on ways and means to issue the strata title as the market value of the properties in Bandar Prai Jaya will increase. Residents in B1, B2, E1 and E2 flats are from the B40 group, where they also have arrears with the MBSP, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) and Penang Water Supply Corporation.

“TNB has numerous times disconnected power to the houses of the poor residents and I have used funds from my assemblyperson allocation to restore power to these units, I have also spent about RM1 million to replace the faulty lifts at these flats,” Ramasamy added.

Batu Kawan MP Kasthuri Patto said the sinking grounds could be due to the fact that the buildings were built on marine clay.

“I will be writing to the state government to immediately take short- and long-term actions to address this grave situation. It is worrying and I hope the authorities will act on the matter before any untoward incident happens,” she said.

The soil surrounding several structures in the Seberang Prai Tengah and Seberang Prai Utara districts of Penang has been found to be sinking, prompting residents to call for safety evaluations.

MBSP councillor David Marshel said the local authority has held several meetings with Ramasamy to resolve the matter and to help the B40 residents living in the low-cost flats. - Mkini