No more delays in projects: Ong

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KOTA KINABALU: The Transport Ministry will no longer tolerate further delays in its development projects, especially in upgrading or putting up new infrastructures.

GREETINGS FROM SABAH: Ong giving a Sabah bead necklace to a tourist from Taipei at Kota Kinabalu International Airport 2 after launching AirAsia’s KK-Taipei flight. — Bernama photo

GREETINGS FROM SABAH: Ong giving a Sabah bead necklace to a tourist from Taipei at Kota Kinabalu International Airport 2 after launching AirAsia’s KK-Taipei flight. — Bernama photo

Its minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Kiat said any problem on the part of the contractors must immediately be informed in order for the contractors and the ministry to work out immediate solutions so that the problems would not be prolonged.

“I have already directed my officials to issue an ultimatum (to contractors) on all the ministry’s projects that there should no longer be any delays.

“We do not want to allow further delays that could derail our efforts in implementing the ministry’s National Key Result Areas (NKRA),” he told reporters after launching AirAsia’s inaugural Kota Kinabalu-Taipei flight, here yesterday.

Ong was commenting on the delay of the upgrading of the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA) that has pushed the expected date of completion by about one year.

Earlier, Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said in his

speech that Sabah was losing a lot of potential direct flights from overseas destinations because of the delay.

Ong said the ministry was aware of the reasons for the delay, especially on the part of the contractors, and said it was outside the control of the ministry and Malaysia Airport Holdings Berhad.

However, he said the airport was now about 90 per cent complete and was expected to be fully operational by May 19.

When asked by reporters whether AirAsia, which is currently operating at Terminal 2 of KKIA, would relocate to the main terminal once completed, Ong said the matter was raised many times, but the status quo on the matter was maintained. — Bernama