Govt Turns Screw On Leighton Over New Safety Scare

The government says it is seeking answers from the construction firm Leighton as the company is caught up in a new scandal involving fears of substandard building work, this time at a cultural centre.

Leighton has been at the centre of one of the biggest construction scandals in the city since explosive revelations of shoddy construction at Hung Hom MTR Station, where steel reinforcement bars at a platform for the Shatin-Central Link were not screwed in properly.

Tests on similar bars at the East Kowloon Cultural Centre being built in Ngau Tau Kok have now also uncovered problems, Ming Pao reports.

The newspaper said five of 150 bars and couplers in a structural column have failed tests carried out by the Architectural Services Department and further checks are pending.

While the materials concerned were supplied by the firm Dextra Pacific, Leighton is the main contractor for the HK$4.17 billion project.

Home Affairs Secretary Lau Kong-wah on Monday expressed deep concern over the reported problems.

Lau said the authorities were following up on the matter and would seek more information from Leighton.

He didn't say whether the issues could delay the opening of the centre, which is scheduled for completion next year.