Concessionaires can be penalised for failure to maintain roads - Minister

Road concessionaires who failed to carry out road maintenance works, especially on federal roads in all states, will face the possibility of being penalised, Works Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said.

"We have a method to monitor these road concessionaires. All state and district PWD (Public Works Department) offices will monitor them in accordance with the provisions of the agreement. We can take action against the concessionaires, on any roads that are not maintained.

"According to the provisions of the agreement, they (concessionaires) will be paid for maintenance work and they will also be penalised if they failed to carry out road maintenance works," he told reporters, here Saturday.

Maintenance work of federal roads in Malaysia is privatised to nine concession companies, comprising three each in the peninsula, Sabah and Sarawak, through federal roads maintenance method, outlined by the ministry, the Public-Private Partnership Unit and the Finance Ministry.

Fadillah said there was a confusion among the people when they assumed that all roads in the country were federal roads and under the supervision of the Works Ministry.

"The ministry is responsible for maintaining federal roads, parts of industrial roads and Felda roads, while state roads and council roads are under the state government.

"The federal government has allocated funds directly to the state government through the Malaysian Road Records Information System (MARRIS) provision for the purpose of state roads maintenance," he said.

He also encouraged members of the public to lodge complaints on damaged roads to the ministry through its mobile application 'Aduan Jalan KKR'.

Fadillah earlier launched the ministry-level National Sports Day celebrations, which were participated by 1,000 staff from various agencies and departments under the Works Ministry.

Present was Deputy Works Minister Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin.

Various activities were also held in conjunction with the inaugural National Sports Day including the zumba dance, golf and netball tournaments as well as a drawing competition for children.