If you’re a regular public transport passenger, you would have 100% heard of the issue with the escalator at LRT Sri Rampai station.
But, for those of you who don’t actually know, the escalator has been faulty and non-functional for the longest time (allegedly 5 years!), causing many to condemn the authorities for their lack of concern over fixing public infrastructure.
Based on a report by Sinar Harian, DBKL responded back in November 2021, that the repair works would start in December 2021 and would be completed in March 2022. But, that didn’t exactly happen.
Then, on 13 June, MUDA’s Federal Territories Chairman, Taufiq Zarak, visited the scene only to see a signboard stating that the repairs would be completed in April 2022 (2 whole months before his visit), though the escalator was clearly still spoilt.
He documented the condition in a TikTok video.
But, there was something else that caught MUDA’s eye which was the company actually doing the repair work.
In a statement shared on the MUDA Setiawangsa Twitter page titled ‘A Project for the Public’s Convenience or for Crony’s Convenience‘, they revealed that the company, Bossque Skyline Sdn Bhd, is actually registered as a clothing company.
“The tender for this project is owned by a company selling clothing, Bossque Skyline Sdn Bhd, which was previously known as Shakco Collections Sdn Bhd before changing their name on 26 April, 2019.”
“This company is also not registered with the Department of Occupational Safety & Health (the parent body of the Ministry of Human Resources), has no experience in maintenance projects and has no relationship with Prasarana Berhad or any local companies that have done development or maintenance work,” they wrote.
The discovery of the nature of the company brought up rather concerning questions.
“The first question is, how can a company selling clothing get a tender to maintain a viaduct escalator when the logic is to award the tender to a company experienced in the maintenance sector?”
“Secondly, do they have the existing expertise to do the maintenance work,” they asked.
With that, they requested for both the authorities and the company to openly address the above questions.
“Therefore, we hope that DBKL can provide a reasonable explanation on the tender awarded and Bossque Skyline Sdn Bhd can provide an explanation on their qualifications and current position in the project,” they said.
While there seems to be no word yet on the matter, as of today (15 June), the escalator has finally been fixed, as shared by Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL).
They wrote, “DBKL has carried out the escalator maintenance work at the Sri Rampai LRT station and today, the escalator has started operating after obtaining safety verifications.”
We genuinely hope that with the completion of the repair work, DBKL will take the time to answer the questions brought up in regards to the clothing company handling the tender.
What do you think about it? Let us know in the comments section.
