SEPANG, 8 Sept: The Selangor Government plans to sign the full agreement on the acquisition of the water industry in the state before the weekend ends, said the Chief Minister, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim.
He said that discussions now are focused on determining words and terms contained in the agreement so that it can be agreed by all parties.
“Our suggestion is that we want to sign the agreement before the end of this week.
“The discussion is no longer about strategies, but the words in the agreement so that it can be agreed by all parties,” he said.
He said this after launching the Pemsea Network of Local Governments Forum 2014 at Avani Sepang Gold Coast Resort this morning.
Earlier, Abdul Khalid revealed that talks between the State Government and the Federal Government have now reached the final phase and Selangor will be taking over all water concessionaires in the state.
The Federal Government and the Selangor Government on August 2 signed the Heads of Agreement on the water supply industry restructuring and the long term solution on the water issue in Selangor.
The agreement was signed by Abdul Khalid and the Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water (KeTTHA), Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili, who represented the Federal Government.
The agreement is an extension of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which was signed by both parties on February 26 on the construction of the treatment plant in Hulu Langat, Selangor.
Earlier, Abdul Khalid met Ongkili to discuss the final decision for the three concessionaires agreed to the takeover offer of RM9.65 billion by the Selangor government.
All three companies, Puncak Niaga Sdn Bhd, Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Syabas) and Konsortium Abbas Sdn Bhd (Abbas) have agreed to the offer received but have yet to sign the agreement in black and white to be submitted to the new administration.
Another concessionaire, Syarikat Pengeluar Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Splash), has rejected the offer.
However, all parties agreed to enforce the Water Services Industry Act (WSIA) to take Splash along with them.
The acquisition was then placed under one water consortium company, Kumpulan Darul Ehsan Berhad (KDEB), a Selangor Government subsidiary company.
Previously, Pengurusan Aset Air Bhd (PAAB) said that the Heads of Agreement of the Selangor water restructuring will not be affected, even without the participation of Splash.
NS
