Action will be taken against those responsible, including the Penang Island City Council (MBPP), for their failure to ensure the safety of the worksite at Bukit Kukus in Paya Terubong, where a landslide occured last October, killing nine.

Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the state government was awaiting a report by the Department of Safety and Health (Dosh) before recommending action on the parties involved.

"MBPP was fully aware that it was unable to monitor the Bukit Kukus road project on its own, it had hired consultant engineers and resident engineers to monitor it on the council’s behalf," Chow told reporters in Penang today.

"We did not stop at revealing the investigation report, we will decide what to do with the parties involved," he added.

Some quarters, such as the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP), called for MBPP and the contractors to be sternly penalised for the tragedy.

CAP was responding to revelations by the state's investigation committee chaired by Deputy Chief Minister I Ahmad Zakiyuddin Abdul Rahman that MBPP had failed in its role to monitor the progress of the project in Bukit Kukus.

Other than MBPP, Zakiyuddin had said the committee found contractor Yuta Maju Sdn Bhd, engineering consultant GEA (M) Sdn Bhd and independent checking engineer G&P Professional Sdn Bhd also responsible for the fatal incident on Oct 19 last year.

MBPP had blacklisted the contractor and banned it from being awarded other projects by the state government.

But CAP wants the mayor of the MBPP and his officers "accountable for their irresponsibility and dereliction of duties in failing to supervise the project".

"This is no simple incident as nine deaths have resulted and very stern action must be taken against the MBPP that includes strong disciplinary action against the mayor and officers responsible," CAP president SM Mohamed Idris said in a statement.

"Otherwise, it will be business as usual in the MBPP as the officers will be allowed to go scot-free with impunity, and nothing will be done to improve the standards of supervision and enforcement of the laws relating to earthworks, construction and buildings, for which this agency is responsible for," he added.

"We therefore call on the state government to make public what further actions will be taken and what improvements will be done in the MBPP to prevent further landslide tragedies," he said.

"We also call for the investigative committee’s findings to be made public, in the interest of transparency and accountability."