Boss of subcontractor on Hong Kong’s Sha Tin-Central rail link refutes ‘insulting’ suggestion that workers would be told to cut corners
- Pun Wai-shan, proprietor of Fang Sheung Construction, tells scandal inquiry nobody will issue instructions to cut steel bars under false pretences
- Strongly denies his firm was involved in cutting corners on Sha Tin-Central rail link
One of the firms at the centre of a construction scandal involving the city’s most expensive rail project has strongly dismissed the possibility of bosses from any company issuing orders to cut corners, saying to do so would be an “insult” to the industry in Hong Kong.
The denial on Tuesday by Pun Wai-shan, proprietor of subcontractor Fang Sheung Construction, came as he gave evidence for the first time at the commission of inquiry into shoddy work on the HK$97.1 billion (US$12.3 billion) Sha Tin-Central link.
Fang Sheung was hired by main contractor Leighton Contractors (Asia) to install steel reinforcement bars, or rebars, at Hung Hom station. The firm derived about 85 per cent of its turnover from bar-fixing work for Leighton over the past five years.
Leighton is also embroiled in the allegations that steel bars were cut short to fake proper installation into couplers on the station platform, and that supporting diaphragm walls were changed without authorisation.
Pun said his firm’s responsibility was only to install the threaded bars into the couplers both on the diaphragm walls and platform.