'MRT project on track and on time'

The My Rapid Transit project is on track to be delivered on time by July 2017, Mass Rapid Transit Corporation (MRT Corp)
Chief Executive Officer Datuk Azhar Abdul Hamid said today.

I ask the same question to my team every week whether can we deliver the project on time and the answer is yes.

"We're
not looking for credits. We want to make sure the product is delivered
well and on time, so everyone can benefit," he told Bernama at the MRT
Corp Hari Raya open house today.

He said MRT Corp had spent
slightly over RM1 billion so far while the total value of work packages
awarded stood at about RM16.5 billion as at end-August.

Asked
to what extent MRT Corp had addressed public complaints on the massive
MRT project, Azhar said some people were still unhappy over certain
things.

"We still have people who don't see the full picture. However, (I believe), everything will turn out well at the end of the day.

"I
keep on citing the Penang bridge. Before it was built, everybody was
unhappy and made noise, but today people value the bridge. The same
thing will happen to MRT," he said.

On recent accusations that
MRT Corp had sidelined Bumiputera contractors in awarding contracts,
Azhar said sometimes people do not have the full "facts and figures"
and are not well-informed.

Over 17 work packages worth RM7.6
billion have been awarded to Bumiputera companies up to end-July and
this works out to 47 per cent of the packages disbursed so far, which
was higher than the 43 per cent target.

"I go by facts and figures and I've the facts and figures," Azhar added. -- Bernama