Chow: Penang govt awaiting federal decision on mega projects

GEORGE TOWN: The Penang government is awaiting the federal government's decision on whether to review the Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP) project.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said all the project proposals had been submitted to the federal agencies concerned for approval and it is up to them to decide what till happen.
He said its project delivery partner SRS Consortium is willing to engage with the federal agencies to supply additional details pertaining to the project as needed, if the review were to take place.
"At the moment, we are waiting for the federal government's decision whether such infrastructure projects have to be reviewed or put on hold for the time being," he told reporters after launching Perbadanan Bekalan Air Pulau Pinang Sdn Bhd's (PBAPP) new Bukit Dumbar Reservoir 4, here today.
Chow was commenting on the statement by Consumer Association of Penang (CAP) yesterday which urged for the costly project to be reviewed.
PTMP is a state-initiated project costing an estimated RM46 billion which features an undersea tunnel linking the island to the mainland, highways, LRT, monorail as well as extensive bus connectivity on both the island and the mainland.
However, Chow said the state government had obtained approval for all the three paired roads project under the PTMP.
He explained that the project was financed through land reclamation that had been undertaken by the private sector and it did not involve federal funding.
"The first one – Air Itam to Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway, is almost ready but we have to wait at least one year to address other issues. Hopefully, it will not be reviewed," he said.
He also urged the federal government to review another category of mega projects, which involve flood mitigation projects in order for them to be fast tracked.
"We have waited for about 18 years for the Sungai Pinang Basin Flood Mitigation project to be implemented and yes it should be reviewed, but for immediate implementation, not review to stop," he said.
Meanwhile, Chow who is also the Padang Kota assemblyman, said the new RM9.3 million Bukit Dumbar Reservoir 4 (BDR4) was built to store more treated water to meet future water demand especially in southern Penang.
He said Penang's water demand has increased by 11% from an average of 744 million litres per day (MLD) in 2008 to an average of 826 MLD in 2017.
"We must always plan ahead to avoid a water crisis because we do not want the people to suffer. The BDR4 will benefit about 315,000 people and thousands of businesses located in the southern part of the island," he added. — Bernama