Pan Borneo Highway contractor fined RM80,000 for damaging TM’s fibre optic cables four times

Pekerjaan Piasau Konkerit Sdn Bhd, a contractor for the Pan Borneo Highway project was fined RM80,000 by the Sessions Court in Sarawak for damaging fibre optic cables belonging to Telekom Malaysia. There were four different incidents that took place in 2017.

According to Bernama, Judge Syarifuddin Abdul Rasa imposed a fine of RM20,000 for each charge against the company which has pleaded guilty to all four counts. It was reported that the company has paid the fine.

The first incident took place on 24 June 2017 when a 48-core fibre optic underground cable located 14.4km away from TM Batu 34 station towards TM TT844 was damaged. This is followed by more incidents that happened at 7km, 42.6km and 8.05km away from TM TT844 station towards TM Batu 34 station between 29 June to 25 November 2017.

The contractor was charged under Section 235 of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission Act 1998 which covers damage to network facilities. Violators can face a fine not exceeding RM300,000 or jail up to three years, or both.

Last month, another Pan Borneo Highway contractor, Musyati Mudajaya JV Sdn Bhd, was fined for committing a similar offense. It was reported that the company had caused damage to TM’s 48-core underground fibre optic network 25.3km from TM Bukit Singgalang station heading to TM Tatau station on 17 July 2017. On 31 July 2017, another cable damage was reported by TM at 14.5km from TM Bukit Singgalang station heading to TM Tatau station. The contractor pleaded guilty to the three charges.

The Pan Borneo Highway is currently undergoing its long-awaited upgrading works from a two-way single to two-way dual carriageway. The road network spans 5,324km in length connecting not just Sarawak and Sabah, but also neighbouring countries such as Indonesia and Brunei. Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said last month that the Sarawak’s first phase of the project was 78% completed while Sabah’s first phase works have reached 52% completion.

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