WHILE the Penang government announced the setting up of the Commission of Inquiry to probe into the Lembah Permai landslide that killed 11 construction workers last Saturday, the developer whose project is in question is also conducting its own post-mortem into the incident.

Taman Sri Bunga Sdn Bhd director Alfred Chew Peng Boon said a full post-mortem was being conducted with a team of consultants to find out what caused the landslide.

He said the well-known engineering firm Arup Jururunding Sdn Bhd (Penang), which also has an international presence, had also been appointed to come up with an independent assessment to determine what led to the landslide and to propose short- and long-term safety measures to ensure similar incidents would not recur.

“We are deeply saddened by the tragedy that happened last Saturday morning that led to the loss of lives.

“As a matter of priority, we assisted the authorities and relevant organisations to coordinate the search and rescue mission on the site and saw to the plight of the victims.

“As a responsible developer, which has been in this field for decades, we have ensured that all the necessary approvals from the relevant authorities were in place before allowing any works to commence on the site.

“We employed reputable consultants and contractors to comply with the necessary safety procedures and regulations when carrying out works and managing the site,” he said today.

Chew said Taman Sri Bunga had always complied with conditions set by the authorities and would continue to do so, pending the conclusion of investigations into the incident.

He said full cooperation would be given to all relevant authorities and agencies to assist them in concluding their inquiry and investigations.

Taman Sri Bunga, a property division of BSG Property, is building a 50-storey affordable apartment project, at the site on Lorong Lembah Permai 3 in Tanjung Bungah.

In a statement on Saturday following the incident, the developer said the landslide occurred when workers were seeing to soil-nailing works to enhance the stability of the temporary slope at the site.

Earlier today, the Penang government formally announced the setting up of a Commission of Inquiry to probe the failure of the temporary slope.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the commission had been given three months to investigate and prepare a full report on the incident.

He also said works on the site would remain suspended until the commission wrapped up its probe and completed its report, while the companies and expert consultants involved in the project were blacklisted throughout the duration of the inquiry. – October 25, 2017.