KOTA KINABALU: Datuk Raymond Tan Shu Kiah may not recall what has been done or the development plan along the railway track, but he is equally concerned over the recent train-tanker accident.
In fact, the Industrial Development Minister disclosed that he should not be questioned over the failure in executing several plans as it was for the present authorities concerned to explain.
Tan said during his tenure as Minister of Infrastructure Development, they had meetings and had everyone, including the leaders, Railway Department director, Ministry of Transport as well as the Federal departments and agencies and contractors’ involvement to address the issues related to the illegal crossings along the Tanjung Aru and Putatan stretch.
“I do not know what has been done or not done as I am no longer the Minister of Infrastructure Development. I no longer have access to the records. What I can recall is that during the many discussions, most of the agencies and departments were asked to play and act on their roles in making sure that safety was a priority,” Tan told reporters when representing Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman to launch the Sabah Oil and Gas Forum 2011: The Way Forward here yesterday.
Responding to Parti Keadilan Rakyat Kota Kinabalu Division chief Christina Liew’s call on the Infrastructure Development Ministry’s pledge to install warning lights and autogates some 100 metres from each railway crossing, Tan said it was now for the present authorities to act on it.
Liew said the pledge was made following a courtesy call on Tan on October 11, 2006, where warning lights would light up whenever a train approaches, and the autogate would come down to close the crossings.
“She (Liew) was not the only one I met at that time. But while I am no longer the minister-in-charge, any state minister or officer is particularly concerned about the matter, even right from the beginning when we were upgrading the railway. It is not the time for us to look into the incident and start pointing fingers, we do not go and highlight the issue in a way to gain political mileage.
“But I am sure there are warning signs put up. As for the closure of illegal crossings, it is only logical to do so. We have, in the past, decided on what is classified as legal and illegal crossings. So I agree to the decision to shut down all illegal crossings along the railway tracks,” he said.
The RM334 million upgrading works to the 134-kilometre Kota Kinabalu-Tenom railway line started in November 2005.
Two new diesel trains were purchased at RM32 million after the upgrading was completed in February this year.
Tan pointed out that during his tenure, there was a complete development plan for the area, which also involved alternate routes to certain areas.
“A lot of work was done to identify the acceptable crossings and there must be agreement that it can be accessed. But for now, I think it is best to go back to what was discussed before and follow up on what has been done to get a clearer picture on the matter,” said Tan
In the Monday accident, 12 people, including a five-month pregnant woman, suffered minor injuries after jumping off the train.
The tanker, laden with 27,000 litres of petrol, was turning into a petrol station when it collided with the train, which was transporting some 200 passengers to Papar from the Tanjung Aru train station.
Upon impact, the first carriage was derailed while the second unit landed atop the tanker before it exploded at the crossing.