KUALA LUMPUR: A DAP lawmaker has questioned Putrajaya’s awarding of a three-year contract worth RM3.56 million to XCN Technology Sdn Bhd to continue managing the Pulau Pangkor incinerator despite its repeated shortcomings.

Serdang MP Ong Kian Ming said in a statement yesterday that in a recent report, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) found that the Ministry of Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government had failed to do due diligence in selecting the technology proposed by XCN Technology.

He said past prototypes used by the same company in the Kuala Terengganu City Council had failed and the prototype in Universiti Teknologi Mara in Shah Alam was only burning waste paper.

According to Ong, PAC also found that experts from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and the Malaysian Industry-Government Group of High Technology also failed to evaluate the company’s technology.

In addition, the 2012 Auditor-General’s Report revealed significant shortcomings in the operations of the Pulau Pangkor Incinerator.

According to Ong, members of Kami Tak Nak insinerator — an NGO campaigning against the proposed incinerator in Taman Beringin in Kepong — visited the Pulau Pangkor incinerator two months ago.

They found that the problems identified in the report — such as the failure to separate waste before incineration and the improper disposal of the fly and bottom ash — were still present.

He said that despite the continued shortcomings of the company in managing the Pulau Pangkor incinerator, the ministry awarded it a three-year contract for RM3.56 million starting from this year.

He said this proved that the ministry was disregarding the fact that XCN Technology was blatantly flouting the law on environmental standards.

“It also demonstrates that the ministry has no regard for the well-being of the residents of Pulau Pangkor,” said Ong. — The Malaysian Insider

This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on November 13, 2014.