PUTRAJAYA: Government buildings in this administrative capital may be more sophisticated than elsewhere in the country and it is only reasonable for the Public Works Department to re-look the maintenance contract. 

Stating this, Entrepreneurial Development and Cooperative Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Khaled Nordin said the department should see if all steps taken so far had been enough to detect any defect or wear and tear in the buildings. 

He was speaking to reporters after visiting the multi-purpose hall at his ministry, where part of the plaster ceiling collapsed on Saturday morning. 

“The standard of maintenance of Putrajaya buildings may have to be further enhanced. 

Site inspection: Musa (second from left) briefing Khaled (right) during his visit to the ministry's multi-purpose hall in Putrajaya on Sunday. With them are (from left) the ministry’s Deputy Secretary-General Mohd Hashim Abdullah and press secretary to the minister Rozaid Abdul Rahman.

“I hope the department will focus on this matter so that what happened on Saturday and earlier at the Immigration Department will not recur elsewhere in Putrajaya.” 

“This is Putrajaya, such an incident should not have occurred,” he said.  

Early on Saturday, water from a burst pipe rained through the ceiling at the hall, causing chunks to come crashing down. 

Less than three weeks ago, a burst pipe at the Immigration department caused widespread damage and brought daily operations to a halt. 

Yesterday, workers were busy repairing the ceiling. 

Khaled said earlier inspections on the building and its pipe systems by the maintenance team had not revealed any defect. 

He said the crumbling structures of the country’s administrative capital required damage controls befitting the city’s sophisticated buildings.  

He suggested that the exact nature of the contract should be looked into to see if it is adequate. 

Currently, Jutabina Sempurna Sdn Bhd is maintaining the building until September.  

Ministry secretary-general Musa Muhamad said although the building had received a Certificate of Fitness, it has yet to be given a Certificate of Make Good Defect (CMGD). 

Musa added that Putrajaya Holdings would be carrying out an investigation into the incident, adding that the rest of the building had been declared safe after an inspection.