Transport Minister Kong Cho Ha  criticised the Penang government today for its U-turn in lifting the stop work order on the Ipoh-Padang Besar Electrified Double Track Project (EDTP), blamed for the worsening floods in northern states.

"I am glad with the final decision they made, anyway the stop-work order should not have been issued in the first place," he said in a statement today .

He added that his ministry and the contractor could have given the Penang government an in-depth briefing if they had requested for one, or had wanted to know more about the project.

mca wanita agm 091010 kong chor ha Kong ( left) said the state government should not have used the stop-work order as a cheap publicity tool, but instead should work with the federal government on mega projects that benefit the state and the country as a whole.

Yesterday, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng lifted the order against MMC Gamuda Joint Venture's double railway tracks project as it had agreed to the state government's demand to reduce the impact of flooding.

Lim, who was satisfied with the firm, hoped it would resolve whatever problems that may arise from the project to ensure that the recent Kedah flood situation is not repeated in Penang.

Lim added that issuing that order had demonstrated his government's pro-active action in crisis management.

Cheap publicity tool

Kong snubbed the state government's stop-work order as "a cheap publicity tool".

azlan "The local government and other related agencies which come under the Penang government are actually involved and had been monitoring the whole process of the EDTP ever since it started; why suddenly issue such an order at this time and at this stage?"

Kong said the EDTP, a huge project spanning eight states, had brought benefit to them as most of the state governments were cooperative and supportive.

The Penang government had issued the stop-work order on Nov 12, pending a guarantee that it would pay compensation arising from damage caused by floods.

This followed complaints from Kedah Menteri Besar Azizan Abdul Razak and Local Government Minister Chor Chee Heung that the works in Kedah had aggravated the flood situation in the state.