Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said he had received preliminary findings on the likely cause of the landslide which killed nine and injured four, hinting that it was due to “non-compliance” in construction procedures at the site.
He said a special committee headed by Deputy Chief Minister I Ahmad Zakiyuddin Abdul Rahman would meet soon to identify the responsible parties.
The panel members will include state Public Works Committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari, representatives from the Institute of Engineers Malaysia (IEM) and the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB), and an engineer from the Economic Planning Unit of the Penang state secretary’s office.
He added that key technical agencies, contractors, sub-contractors and independent checking engineers involved in the project would be summoned for questioning.
According to Chow, the special committee will be separate from concurrent investigations conducted by other federal agencies such as the Department of Safety and Health (DOSH).
Once investigations are complete, he said, the findings will be brought to the Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM), an agency under the works ministry which monitors and regulates engineers.
“Lives are precious. There will be no compromise. We hope the committee will start work soon and complete it in a reasonable period,” he said in a press conference at Komtar today.
Chow also said his government would focus on improving policies in tandem with climate change, including revamping outdated policies and renewing regulations to take climate change into serious consideration.
He earlier witnessed the signing of an agreement between CIDB and Penang Development Corporation (PDC) to improve health and safety quality (OSH) at construction sites.
When asked if local authorities would also sign an agreement to improve OSH at construction sites, he said it would be considered.
A five-day search and recovery operation at the Bukit Kukus landslide area ended yesterday after nine bodies were extricated from the heap of earth which fell from a hill slope 50m above. Four people escaped with minor injuries.
The city council and two developers had planned to build a 5km elevated bypass there worth RM530 million.
Mayor Yew Tung Seang previously hinted at negligence after finding a water source at the hill top which had not been diverted.