Penang govt hopes federal govt will be fair in processing land reclamation projects

GEORGE TOWN: The Penang government hopes the federal government will be fair in processing applications for reclamation projects for the state, said Penang exco for Local Government, Traffic Management and Flood Mitigation, Chow Kon Yeow.
He said the evaluation of any reclamation project should be impartial and consider all aspects including economic and social benefits and also the feasibility in the long run.
"We urge the federal government to use the same benchmark in assessing all reclamation projects including those in Penang," he said during a press conference at Komtar.
Chow was responding to a statement by Prime Minister Datuk Sri Najib Abdul Razak who said no approval would be given for the Penang South Reclamation project if people were affected by it and it should be environmentally friendly.
Chow also stressed that the evaluation on the proposed Penang South Reclamation (PSR) project should be dealt with on technical grounds with a holistic view towards the overall economic and social benefits.
He cited that there are at least 10 reclamation projects currently ongoing in other states for various purposes including tourism, residential,industrial and mixed development.
He also pointed out that the Penang state government has pledged to fully comply with all rules and regulations pertaining to its application to the federal government for the PSR project including submitting an in-depth and detailed EIA Report to the Department of Environment (DOE).
He further added that the state government has taken a conscious approach to improve the livelihood of the community in southern Penang island especially the fishermen.
"We hope the federal government will put aside political differences in the evaluation of PSR for the benefit of all Penangites," he said.