45 traders at Melaka Sentral to be shifted due to soil movement

MELAKA, Jan 31 (Bernama) -- About 45 traders at Melaka Sentral in Peringgit here will be shifted to a temporary site for upgrading works to be carried out at block C of the building following reports of significant soil movement in the area.

State Transport, Works and Public Amenities executive councillor Datuk Mohd Sofi Abdul Wahab said the forensic geotechnical examination on the block C building structure found that there was about 300 millimetres of soil movement in the foyer and right porch areas, believed to be due to ‘consolidation settlement’.

“Apart from that, we found a lot of cracks on the walls at block C and the building looks to be in an ‘overstressed’ state, while about 20,000 square feet of the area is not safe for use.

“For the safety of the 45 traders at block C and the public at Melaka Sentral, the area needs to be evacuated effective today,” he told a press conference after visiting the area here today. Also present was Melaka Sentral Sdn Bhd chairman Nazri Abu Kasim.

Mohd Sofi, who is also the Durian Tunggal state assemblyman, said of the total, 20 have been placed at block A of Melaka Sentral while the rest would be moved to other suitable sites.

He said the cost of the upgrading works at block C was estimated at RM7 million and would take about nine months to be completed.

Work to build the RM61 million, 46.6-hectare Melaka Sentral transportation terminal began in February 2003 and was completed in May 2004.

In 2016, Malaysian Public Works Institute (Ikram) confirmed active movement of earth beneath the Melaka Sentral Market, which is situated next to the terminal, and that it could prove dangerous after preliminary investigations found that the contractor did not adhere to the construction plans, especially the piling.

Meanwhile, Mohd Sofi said Melaka Sentral would implement the Centralised Ticketing System (CTS) to replace the conventional ticket selling method from March 1 in a move to raise the quality of services to be more comprehensive and systematic.

He said the upgrading of the terminal would cost RM5 million and would be done in three phases. Once completed at the end of the year, he was confident it would help eradicate the problems of fake tickets and black market ticket sellers.

-- BERNAMA