KUCHING: The Covid-19 pandemic has affected many sectors including construction and resulted in either the delays or rescheduling of many projects and activities.
“It is inevitable that some programmes, projects and activities are delayed and need to be rescheduled due to this pandemic. However, it is also imperative that there must be cooperation at every level of our society to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
“For all construction sites that are still operating during the conditional movement control order (CMCO), we have emphasised the requirement to adhere strictly to the standard operating procedures (SOPs),” Assistant Minister of Utilities (Water Supply), Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Junaidi said.
The Pantai Damai assemblyman applauded the decision of the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) to extend the movement control order (MCO) in Sibu and CMCO in other districts state-wide.
He said the move was necessary as Sarawak was still in containment mode during which it was vital to conduct tracing, testing and isolation.
He stressed that initiatives were being undertaken to mitigate the delays caused by the pandemic.
“There are some initiatives undertaken by the state government to share the burden of construction delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. For example, the state government has granted the contractors concerned extension of time (EOT) of 84 days.
“The state government is always trying to get inputs from all stakeholders and we are optimistic that we can come up with a reasonable solution,” he said.
He added that the Ministry of Utilities was making use of every opportunity to maximise the usage of technology to reach out to the people.
“The launching of e-Utilities System by the ministry is one of the initiatives to leverage on technology in reaching out to constituents, especially for those with the telecommunication in place. The Covid-19 pandemic, has in fact , accelerated the development of this system.
“By using this system, people in the constituency concerned can view and get updates on the progress of utility projects being developed at their respective locations,” he said.
