By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Apr 13: Road construction and maintenance projects nationwide are expected to face further delays due to the rising cost of construction materials and operational expenses, particularly diesel, linked to the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
In a Bernama report, Deputy Works Minister Ahmad Maslan said of the ongoing 855 projects under the Public Works Department (JKR), one-third were ahead of schedule, one-third were on track, and one-third were behind schedule.
Road construction and maintenance projects, he added, have been among the most affected due to their strong dependence on diesel-powered machinery such as lorries and road rollers.
However, he said that building construction projects were less affected due to existing material stockpiles.
“Given the current situation, we are concerned that the number of delayed projects will rise,” he said during a working visit to the Kulai JKR headquarters today.
Meanwhile, he said contractors were not allowed to halt their work, adding that some applied to scale down operations to control costs, which had yet to receive ministerial approval.
Maslan also said that the ministry is working to obtain data to determine the extent of the price increase in construction materials, as well as to engage with several contractor associations to gather industry feedback. — DayakDaily
