The contractor should be held responsible in the Kuala Dipang bridge collapse which claimed three lives, said Works Minister Shaziman Abu Mansor.

He said the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) had lodged a police report against the contractor for negligence.

The contractor is not registered with the Works Ministry and it does not even have the bridge's design, he told reporters after closing the ministry's Innovation Day in Kuala Lumpur today.

NONE In the tragedy on Oct 26, three primary school pupils attending a 1Malaysia camp in Kuala Dipang, Kampar, Perak drowned after the suspension bridge collapsed into Sungai Kampar.

Yesterday, the bridge collapse investigation committee headed by Education director-general Alimuddin Mohd Dom revealed that it found that the concrete block connection of the bridge in Pylon A could not handle the uplift force from the back-stayed cable.

"Contractors are responsible for the structures erected by them. I am taking a serious view on the mishap as it had claimed three lives," said Shaziman, adding that he had ordered the CIDB to study the CIDB Act with a view of tightening provisions on contractors' responsibilities.

NONE "The act does not allow us to remand contractors, so we need to tighten it. We may propose the appointment of project managers for construction projects.

"We need to ensure that the industry is respected and not associated with failures, uncertainties and causing anxiety among the people," he said.

On the leaked Bukit Antarabangsa landslide report, he said the Works Ministry would lodge a police report on the posting of the report on several websites.

On the Selangor government's intention to sue the federal government for not declassifying the report, he said the state government was at liberty to do so.

The Bukit Antarabangsa landslide tragedy on Dec 6 last year claimed five lives and destroyed 14 bungalows.

- Bernama