KUALA LUMPUR: There have been no delays in payments to contractors working on the Pan Borneo Highway project that could affect construction progress, deputy works minister Ahmad Maslan told the Dewan Rakyat today.
He said payments for Phases 1A and 1B are being made in line with physical progress, with disbursements keeping pace with or exceeding scheduled levels.
"Phase 1A, comprising 15 work packages, has achieved 89.54% physical completion against a scheduled 96.23%, while financial disbursements stand at 88.78%.
"For Phase 1B, which only recently began, actual physical progress stands at 25.53%, ahead of the scheduled 24.76%.
"Financial disbursements have reached 22.11%, exceeding the scheduled 20.73%. Therefore, there is no issue with payments," he said in reply to Wetrom Bahanda (KDM-Kota Marudu) on whether delays in the project were caused by late payments to contractors or a lack of expertise in the appointment of contractors.
Ahmad acknowledged that contractor performance must be addressed to keep the project on track.
He said the works ministry had tightened monitoring through monthly meetings to review construction progress and resolve emerging issues.
The meetings, chaired by the Sabah state secretary and the ministry's secretary-general, are part of efforts to ensure the effective implementation of the project, he said.
The ministry has also introduced measures to prevent further delays, including strengthening steering committees and special task forces to assess contractor performance, identify causes of delays and develop solutions.
These measures are aimed at ensuring that the Pan Borneo Highway project is completed on schedule, he said.