Saturday December 18, 2010
100 nails and screws found on road
By EDMUND NGO
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GEORGE TOWN: About 100 pieces of nails, screws and bolts were found strewn over a busy stretch of road here, sparking fears that they could have been deliberately scattered by unscrupulous people. The sharp objects were found yesterday morning along a 10m stretch of Lebuh Sungai Pinang, before the turn into the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway.
It is believed this was the first time such objects had been found near the expressway, although such cases had previously been reported on the Penang Bridge. A member of the public spotted them at 11am and contacted Sungai Pinang assemblyman Koid Teng Guan.
Prickly situation: Policemen diverting traffic away from the screws and nails lying in the middle of Lebuh Sungai Pinang yesterday. (Below) A close-up view of the sharp objects.
Koid then sent his special assistant, M. Vijay Ananthan, who is Kampung Rawa village development and security committee (JKKK) chairman, to investigate. The Penang Municipal Council was then called in to help sweep the dangerous objects off the road.
While waiting for council workers to arrive, Vijay borrowed a broom and dustpan from a nearby shop to sweep the nails. “I heard some vehicles that passed through the stretch suffered punctures,” he said.
Policemen patrolling the area diverted the traffic until the area was cleared. Penang police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Wira Ayub Yaakob said they would investigate the matter. “We can’t speculate that they were scattered there on purpose as they might have fallen off a lorry.
“We have not received any reports over this,” he said, urging eyewitnesses to come forward to assist police investigations. The scattering of nails is common on the Penang Bridge by some quarters out to make a fast buck by replacing punctured tyres.
In July 1995, more than 1kg of nails were found by Penang Bridge Sdn Bhd employees.In the same month, a 34-year-old mechanic was caught in connection with the scattering of nails on the bridge.
