PORT KLANG: Puncak Niaga (M) Sdn Bhd and Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas) will come under the Selangor state government on Oct 15.
Selangor Menteri Besar Azmin Ali said the state government would meet the deadline set by Puncak Niaga Holdings Berhad (PNHB) last month to take over the subsidiaries.
" Pengurusan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Air Selangor) have started the take over initiative and is finalising some technical issues.
" As far as I am concerned, Air Selangor will take over Puncak Niaga and Syabas on Oct 15. That was the last briefing given to the state exco meeting. There will be no more delays," he said when met after launching a logistics company warehouse facility yesterday.
Azmin was responding to the question if Air Selangor could meet the Oct 15 deadline after the grace period to do so was extended from two weeks to a month after the water services master agreement was signed on Sept 8.
PNHB had on Sept 14 agreed to the eighth and final extension of the Stop Date of the sales and purchase agreement (SPA) with Air Selangor.
All of the SPA's conditions precedent was supposed to be fulfilled on Jan 12,2015 whereby upon completion, PNHB will hand over Puncak Niaga and Syabas to the state government in return of RM 1.56 billion.
Ensuring there is sufficient treated water supply for the people and various industries would also be a priority of the state once Air Selangor takes over Puncak Niaga and Syabas, added Azmin.
" And with the completion of the Second Mitigation Project, this issue will be resolved and I have said before that there would be no more water rationing. The treated water margin is manageable and certainly we have taken pre-emptive measures to ensure that the supply will be available for many years. Our proactive measures would be implemented in our 2016 state budget and the details would be presented at the state assembly on Oct 30," he said.
Azmin said the state goverment have given all the approval required by the federal government to complete the Langat 2 Water Treatment Plant.
The Selangor government has no plans to follow the footsteps of its Penang counterpart which had declared its government as Pakatan Harapan, said Azmin.
" I have a duty to defend the Selangor state government and I have to honour the mutual agreement we reached in 2008 and 2013 until the end of the administration period," he said.
Asked on Pas' Dewan Ulama which would discuss its Selangor's counterpart exit from the Selangor government administration, Azmin said they have the right to discuss.
" I will not get involved, as much as I do not like other parties to get involved in mine. We should allow Pas to discuss the matter and make a decision," he said.