(The Star) - State subsidiary companies of the Selangor government will not bid for the Langat 2 water treatment plant project, Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim said.

“It is not relevant for us to take part in the open tender process now.

“As the state executive councillors and I have said many times, we will only consider the Langat 2 project as an option and that is if the Federal Government agrees to a (water) restructuring exercise where the state government takes charge of all water concessionaires.”

The Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry said on Friday that the Federal Government would implement the Langat 2 project through a tender system which would be opened to all qualified companies.

However, Khalid said yesterday that he preferred arbitration for now.

“Let's sit down and talk and present our points to each other instead of conveying our messages through the media,” he told reporters yesterday after handing over land grants to several residents in Kampung Sungai Sireh.

On the ministry's statement that the state government had confused the people by providing inaccurate information on the water issue, Khalid said actual findings on the water treatment plants were given by experts and not just by anyone.

“Whatever information issued by the state government on the water situation was based from actual findings and studies conducted by professionals. We have no ulterior motives in the water industry,” he said, adding that the state government had prioritised the people's welfare first.

Selangor Barisan Nasional coordinator Datuk Seri Mohd Zin Mohamed, meanwhile, slammed Khalid for delaying the approval of the project, claiming that people from various locations in the Klang Valley were already suffering from low water pressure in their homes and factories.