If the public have problems pertaining to matters concerning the Works Ministry, then it should register its complaint there and not with the media.

Works Minister S Samy Vellu said the public should lodge complaints with him, the ministry's secretary-general or the Public Works Department (PWD) director-general.

The ministry had set up a committee to receive complaints from the public and act on them, he added

"But, if they complain to a television station and want me to answer, it will not happen," he was quoted as saying by Bernama .

The minister was asked to comment on a television report that alleged that the public had complained to the station about the problems with the Menora Tunnel in Jelapang, Perak.

Samy Vellu thanked the public for raising the problem but said: "Everywhere we go, there must be some damage somewhere... But each year when we receive the allocation, we have it fixed."

Over the past year or so, the minister has been in the spotlight over problems related to the damages sustained by flyovers and elevated highways.

Surface cracks

In a related development, Projek Lebuhraya Utara-Selatan Berhad (PLUS), the concessionaire for the North-South Highway, assured highway users that the 823-metre Menora Tunnel southbound near the Jelapang Toll Plaza is safe for all vehicles.

Surface cracks that appeared on the walls of the tunnel were minor and caused by temperature changes, it said.

These did not affect the tunnel structure, it said, adding that regular inspections were made every six months by experts and that surveillance equipment had also been installed there.

Any queries can be made to its 24-hour toll-free hotline at 1-800-88-0000 or by calling PLUS' Corporate Communications Department at 03-79818000.