Calvin Chong
SANDAKAN: Contractors and engineers responsible for utilizing cheap materials and making unprofessional decision to get more profit when constructing the Sandakan Integrated Bus Terminal may face legal action, said Elopura assemblyman Calvin Chong.
Chong said that after he had looked into the cost of the project which was initiated six years ago, he found that the project had used about RM27.4 million in cost.
“I inspected the terminal two days in a row now because I am really not satisfied with the condition of the terminal. We will not forgive those who were responsible for building this terminal in such a poor state, and action will be taken against those who are at fault immediately.
“The terminal was built on swampy land and now the structure is erected on swamp land without proper underground base. We can now already see parts of the ground are damaged, and the workers had to cover this up by fixing the damage repeatedly. This showed that the land is not able to withstand the weight of heavy vehicles.
The land must be able to withstand about 18 to 20 tonnes of weight, which is the estimated weight of an express bus,” he said.
Chong added the building itself is not equipped with air conditioners, but only with fans in each corner. With the windows that could not be opened, he said one could imagine how hot it is inside when there is no ventilation inside the building.
“The overall details of the building also need improvement, including the ceiling that is uneven, exhaust system at the kitchen that is not up to standard, and also the material used to build the staircase that is not safe. All these shortcomings need to be looked into again.
“Other problems include insufficient parking spaces which will lead to traffic jams in the future,” he said.
Chong said he had issued letters to all relevant departments and agencies for a meeting in July to discuss resolutions to the problems.
He stressed that all the reports had led him into deciding not to open the terminal in the nearest time.
“Someone needs to be responsible for this, especially the one who rectified the design of the building. This building has used a big sum of money that was paid by the rakyat. We need to have good explanation for the public,” he added.
The bus terminal was built to cater for express buses to and from Sandakan, Tawau, Lahad Datu, Semporna, and Lahad Datu, which is the main transportation mode linking the main towns in the east coast to Kota Kinabalu and Ranau. Currently, the bus terminal in Sandakan is being operated temporarily at Bandar Letat, at Mile 3 here.