By NNN-Bernama
Kuala Lumpur : The Malaysian government is expected to sign an agreement with the Indian government for the development of a medical city in Kerala within the next two months.
Under the government-to-government cooperation, the Construction Industry Development Board Malaysia (CIDB) is given the mandate to select Malaysian companies to participate in the project with a gross development value (GDV) of over RM1.5 billion spanning eight years.
Works Minister Samy Vellu said Thursday a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) had been signed two months ago with the Kerala state government.
Proposals on developing the designated 500-hectare site in phases according to zones have been submitted, he said.
“The medical city will be complemented with industrial and township precincts,” he told reporters after presenting certificates to contractors who had obtained the ISO 9001:2000 certification under CIDB’s scheme.
Kerala, a state in southwestern India, is known for its ayurvedic treatment.
CIDB chief executive Hamzah Hasan, who returned from Kerala early this morning, said companies have not been shortlisted but those selected must have the capability and capacity to handle big projects, such as Grade G7 contractors.
Grade G7 contractors are the highest in the registration hierarchy of contractors of the country’s construction industry, and are involved in projects with value of more than RM10 million.
Samy Vellu said besides Kerala, he had also talked with the chief ministers of Gujarat and New Delhi recently on the possibility of Malaysian contractors undertaking projects in their states.
The minister also called on Grade G7 contractors to obtain the ISO 9001:2000 certification as soon as possible as it would be a requirement for them from next year.
“According to CIDB statistics, only about 400 or 10 percent of Grade G7 contractors have the certification as opposed to the total number of 4,000 at present,” he said.