SHAH ALAM, 10 Apr: A total of RM53.9 million has been saved within a period of a year after the waste management services in Selangor was fully taken over by Local Authorities (LA) in August 2011.
The Executive Councillor for Local Government, Studies and Research, Datuk Teng Chang Khim, said the management cost for domestic waste and bulk trash when managed by Alam Flora Sdn Bhd was at RM220.7 million, and after it was taken over by LAs, the cost reduced to RM166.8 million.
He said that the move to hand the management of solid waste to LAs is the best move because it does not only save cost, but the State Government can also ensure that this will no longer involve corruption.
“Indeed, initially there was a problem because contractors had not adapted to the condition, but it was not so serious that no work was done.
“We will also try to improve on the weaknesses from time to time, including plans to impose a charge of 10 to 20 percent before the contractor enters the tender to ensure that they are able to carry out the best clean-up,” he said.
He said this in response to a question from Ng Tien Chee (DAP-Balakong) and Gan Pei Nei (PKR-Rawang) regarding the waste management in Selangor so far at the Selangor State Assembly (DNS) session today.
At the same time, Teng also informed that the State Government is in the process of appointing an independent consultant to conduct monitoring every six months at all local authorities.
He said that this monitoring is not only focused on the aspect of cleanliness and waste management, but also includes the performances of Mayors and Presidents of each local authority.
“We wish to appoint an independent consultant so that there will be reports from LAs every six months to be presented to the people. We will not point fingers on a whim without researching and checking in advance,” he said.
