A ceremony to present the 5-Star Sustainable INFRASTAR certificate to Malaysia Rapid Transit Corporation Sdn Bhd (MRT Corp) was held on 12 April 2021 at the KVMRT Training Centre, Sungai Buloh.

The award was a recognition for the efforts carried out by MRT Corp throughout the MRT Putrajaya (PY) Line project to ensure that it was a piece of sustainable infrastructure. Achieving a 5-Star Sustainable INFRASTAR certification meant that efforts to prioritise continuous sustainability practices in all stages of the project were recognised.

The certificate was presented by Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) Malaysia Chief Executive Datuk Ir. Ahmad ‘Asri Abdul Hamid to MRT Corp Chief Executive Officer, Datuk Mohd Zarif Hashim.

Present at the ceremony were representatives of MMC Gamuda KVMRT (PDP SSP) Sdn Bhd, the turnkey contractor of the MRT PY Line Project, and representatives of the project’s work package contractors.

Sustainable INFRASTAR is an objective and evidence-based evaluation system by CIDB that assesses an infrastructure project on key sustainability factors such as land use planning and management, resource management, energy and water management, biodiversity and other ecosystem services, social and cultural protection and stakeholder coordination.

In his welcome remarks during the ceremony, MRT PY Line Project Director Dato’ Amiruddin Ma’aris touched on how the PY Line Project implemented the best environmental and social practices in accordance to the local and global standards. He also went on further to give anecdotes explaining the challenges faced to enforce the sustainability aspect of the projects through his experiences on site.

Congratulating MRT Corp on the achievement, Ahmad ‘Asri said he was very glad that more industry players were taking sustainable measures seriously as many have come forward to have their projects assessed and rated. He said that this marked another step forward towards creating a more sustainability conscious culture in the construction industry.

The second part of the ceremony saw the prize giving for the Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) Practitioner Recognition Program. 

The recipients were Encik Ahmad Azamuddin Azman from Ahmad Zaki Resources Berhad who won the Best Site Safety Supervisor, and Encik Mohd Fitteri Shah Ngah Deman of Mudajaya Corporation Bhd who won the Best Safety & Health Officer prize.  There were two Environment Officer consolation prize winners – Encik Farid ‘Ismat Hussine from MMC Gamuda KVMRT (T) Sdn Bhd and Puan Effa Norsyazwani Jaffar of KKM-TRC Consortium. 

There were four stages to the assessment process to select the winners, beginning with the nomination of the practitioners by the Turnkey Contractor of the PY Line. The nominees were then assessed and screened by MRT Corp SHE personnel, followed by a presentation and interview session.