Kota Sentosa rep orders payment withheld until Lrg Sungai Tapang 4 RTP works meet requirements

KUCHING (Sept 23): Kota Sentosa assemblyman Wilfred Yap has instructed that payment to the contractor for the Rural Transformation Programme (RTP) project at Lorong Sungai Tapang 4 here be withheld pending full compliance with the contractual requirements.

He issued the instruction to the Padawan Municipal Council (MPP), the implementing agency, following a site inspection today with MPP officers, during which certain works were found to be unsatisfactory and not fully in accordance with the required standards.

The project involves upgrading works to improve drainage infrastructure and address local drainage and flooding concerns.

Yap said all outstanding deficiencies must be rectified and the project completed in accordance with the approved scope of works, contractual requirements and Bill of Quantities (BQ) before payment could be released.

“Public funds must be spent responsibly, and projects funded under the RTP must be delivered according to the approved scope of works and Bill of Quantities,” he said in a statement.

“Completion cannot simply mean that physical works have been carried out. The works must also meet the required specifications and standards,” he said in a statement.

He stressed that payment should only be made after the outstanding works had been properly rectified and the project fully complied with the contractual requirements.

“I have instructed MPP to ensure that payment is not made until the outstanding works have been properly rectified and the project fully complies with the contractual requirements.

“This is about accountability and ensuring that every ringgit of public money delivers the intended benefit to the people,” he said.

Yap thanked MPP officers for their continued monitoring and technical assessment of the project.

He said he would continue to monitor RTP projects on the ground, work closely with implementing agencies and follow up on residents’ concerns until they were properly addressed.

“We listen, we follow up, and we make sure the work is done properly,” he said.