Structural integrity of the Karamunsing Complex will be assess

KOTA KINABALU: The Public Works Department (PWD) has been tasked to appoint an independent engineering consultant to look into the structural integrity of the Karamunsing Complex.

Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan said another independent engineering consultant will be appointed to look into the matter.



The owner of the complex, Crest Megaway Sdn Bhd, had previously employed its own independent engineering consultant, Jurutera Perunding WD Lee.

Pairin who is also Minister of Infrastructure Development told this to reporters at a press conference after a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Haji Aman at Wisma Innoprise yesterday.

His ministry’s Permanent Secretary Datuk Felix Madan recommended that a separate independent consultant who is free of pressure from any party or has no self-interest needed to be appointed to assess the building’s structural integrity.

In this case the PWD has been entrusted to select the consultant.

“The Cabinet has been briefed and after a lengthy and in-depth discussion, the Cabinet has decided that the PWD will appoint and suggest an independent engineering consultant besides the one appointed by the complex owner,” he said.

The row over the safety of the complex has become a big issue as the lot owners in the complex have threatened to sue the Kota Kinabalu City Hall and Suria Capital Holdings Bhd.

The owners are fuming over the loss of business following a report that the 7th, 8th and 9th floors of Block C were declared unsafe.

Meanwhile, State Secretary of Sabah, Datuk Sukarti Wakiman who also attended the post-Cabinet press conference said the government has already issued guidelines to the relevant authorities on the procedures for hiring foreign labour from Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar and Vietnam.

“The guidelines have been given out and we have already discussed them with all those involved including the Immigration Department,” he said.

Chief Minister had on Jan 18 announced that the State Cabinet decided to allow the recruitment of foreign labour from Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar and Vietnam to overcome difficulty in sourcing foreign labour for certain tasks, mainly in the plantation and maid sectors.

Source : New Sabah Times