‘Negligent contractor’ to be punished after crane collapse on tracks, says Loke
Published on: Thursday, January 04, 2024
By:
FMT, Annabelle Lawrence, Lynelle Tham
Transport minister Loke Siew Fook said action will be taken against the contractor involved in the collapse of a crane near some train tracks last month. (Bernama pic)
PUTRAJAYA: Transport minister Loke Siew Fook today said that action would be taken against the “negligent contractor” after a crane toppled near some train tracks, disrupting rail services last month.
Loke said the crane had been placed in a danger zone, a site which was unstable and slippery, without permission.
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“We are lucky that no trains were passing by when the crane collapsed.
“Imagine if there was (a train passing by) when the crane fell, and the train collided (with it). A tragedy would have befallen us,” he said at a press conference here.
He also said that action would be taken under Section 128(1)(a) of the Land Public Transport Act 2010 for negligently damaging railway premises.
If convicted under the act, the contractor can be fined up to RM5,000 or imprisoned for a maximum of three years.
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Loke said the Land Public Transport Agency was completing the investigation report on the incident, which would then be submitted to the Attorney-General’s Chambers for further action.
He added that the public works department was assessing the amount of compensation the contractor would need to bear.
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He also issued a warning to all contractors, urging them not to trivialise safety issues as these were a matter of life and death.
“Just because you want to simplify the job, you end up risking human lives,” he said.
Loke said the incident had cost Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd an estimated RM2.4 million, including expenses for buses to transport affected passengers and losses in terms of cargo and passenger services.
The crane, which was being used to construct a multi-level car park, collapsed at 5.33pm on Dec 13 at KM355.749 of the train tracks between the Rawang and Kuang stations, severing the overhead line.
The incident obstructed both tracks of the Rawang-Tanjung Malim route.
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