THE Works Ministry has yet to receive the reports pertaining to the RM305 million Penang Tunnel project as promised by the Penang Government about 18 months ago.

This is despite several promises that the reports would be submitted, says Works Minister Fadillah Yusof.

He said Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng had initially promised to deliver the reports at the end of last year but (the submission) was delayed by another six months upon Lim’s request.

He added that Lim gave the excuse that studies on the project stood at only 87% and that the reports would be sent once they were completed.

“Again, the deadline had passed and as of today, we have yet to receive a single page of the reports,” he said in a statement made available to Bernama.

Fadillah said the delay was “very unusual” as the project was awarded in April 2013.

“Nothing has started (in as far as the) construction (is concerned)... despite at least RM220 million having already been paid by the Penang Government,” he noted.

Fadillah said the ministry had demanded for the reports since April last year after Lim, in a letter to the minister, had asked to switch the tunnel into a bridge.

“I told him that our ministry could not approve based on a two-page letter and had asked them to send their feasibility and detailed design studies of the three roads and tunnel costing RM305 million, to me in consultancy fees alone,” he said.

The minister also lambasted the opposition-led state government that if a similar situation was to happen to federal government’s projects, the government would already be under intense criticism by the opposition with many allegations of corruption or cronyism. – Bernama, October 9, 2017.