Latest news with #ProtectKarpalSinghDrive
Free Malaysia Today
03-07-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Health impact assessment needed for Jelutong project, says group
The RM1 billion reclamation plan involves digging up and rehabilitating the closed Jelutong landfill and reclaiming adjacent coastal land north of the Penang Bridge to temporarily dump the unearthed rubbish from the landfill, besides carrying out mixed development. GEORGE TOWN : A Penang residents' group has urged environmental regulators to reject a developer's environmental impact assessment (EIA) for a planned reclamation project next to the old Jelutong landfill, saying it breaks the rules by leaving out a full health impact assessment (HIA). In a statement, the Protect Karpal Singh Drive Action Committee said the project's proponents ignored the need for a HIA, a new requirement under the law since January for such a project. 'The developer's failure to include a HIA is not an oversight, it's a direct violation of law. 'The environment department (DoE) has clear legal authority and constitutional obligation to reject this incomplete and non-compliant proposal,' the group's spokesman, Dr K Ganesh, said. The RM1 billion reclamation plan involves digging up and rehabilitating the closed Jelutong landfill and reclaiming adjacent coastal land north of the Penang Bridge to temporarily dump the unearthed rubbish from the landfill, besides carrying out mixed development. Ganesh said the EIA failed to consider long-term risks from dust, gas and noise, and ignored most residents in its social study. The group has demanded a full HIA, a certified landfill closure plan, and strong legal steps to protect Middle Bank — a mudflat rich in marine life and seagrass — and public health. He said the group met the Penang DoE yesterday and sent in a formal protest memo, outlining a few demands, including rejecting the developer's EIA. The group learnt that 98.6% of the public comments during the EIA public display period were against the project, Ganesh added. The Penang government signed the deal to rehabilitate the island's only sanitary landfill with PLB Engineering Bhd in 2020 to carry out the project over four to five years. However, no visible works have begun. The 65ha site includes 36ha of landfill and 29ha of new land next to the Karpal Singh Drive waterfront. Chief minister Chow Kon Yeow previously defended the project, saying it would not encroach on the Middle Bank. He had said that the reclamation was needed to create space for a safe landfill clean-up. He said once the site is cleaned up, it will be handed to the developer for mixed development, and the state would get back 20% to 30% of the reclaimed land as part of the deal. More recently, Chow said the Penang government may consider downsizing the reclaimed area following a meeting with the group. However, the residents said the developer's own report shows the landfill can be rehabilitated within its current boundary making reclamation unnecessary. FMT has contacted local government exco member Hng Mooi Lye for comment.
Malay Mail
03-07-2025
- Business
- Malay Mail
Penang open to scaling down Jelutong reclamation off Karpal Singh Drive, says chief minister
SEBERANG PERAI, July 3 — The Penang state government may consider renegotiating the terms and scale of the reclamation project off Karpal Singh Drive, said Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow. He said the proposal under the Jelutong landfill rehabilitation and reclamation project could still be reviewed. 'We will need to scrutinise the work method that the group was worried about,' he said, referring to the Protect Karpal Singh Drive Action Committee that recently met with him to voice concerns over the project. Chow said the group, consisting mostly of Karpal Singh Drive residents, was especially concerned about the project's work methods. 'We have to revisit why such a big area is needed and all that,' he said after attending the groundbreaking ceremony of a market complex in Batu Kawan. He said the state may consider scaling down the project by renegotiating with the developer — if the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report is approved. 'There are components, lands, that need to be handed over to the state,' he said. He added that it involves a profit-sharing component, so the state may have to sacrifice its portion if the project is to be scaled down. However, he stressed that this would not affect the contract signed with the developer. In 2020, the Penang Development Corporation signed a deal with PLB Engineering Bhd to rehabilitate and develop the Jelutong landfill at a cost of RM1 billion. The project includes reclaiming 30 hectares of land off Karpal Singh Drive. The Protect Karpal Singh Drive Action Committee has raised concerns over the project, citing environmental and pollution issues. They also warned that it could affect the nearby Middle Bank marine sanctuary. The Middle Bank marine sanctuary spans around 10 square kilometres in the South Channel waters between Penang island and the mainland. It is home to the only seagrass bed in the Straits of Malacca. A study found a total of 429 species of seagrass, trees, vegetation, fish, birds, marine mammals, turtles, molluscs, arthropods, and echinoderms there. Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow speaks to reporters at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Batu Kawan market in Seberang Perai July 3, 2025. — Picture by Opalyn Mok Chow said the final decision on the project will depend on the EIA report's approval. He said the project cannot proceed without it. 'The public display of the EIA ended on June 30, so it is up to the project developer to gather feedback and respond accordingly,' he said. The next step, he said, is to wait for a decision from the Department of Environment (DoE). 'Whatever it is, we have to wait, and if they don't receive EIA approval by the deadline, the project might not proceed,' he said. Chow said the developer has until February 2026 to obtain the EIA approval. 'Now, they still have time, so if they didn't get approval, they may need to resubmit,' he said. If the developer secures EIA approval before the February 2026 deadline, the state government will renegotiate the scale of the project with them. Earlier, Chow attended the groundbreaking of a RM46 million market complex in Batu Kawan. The market, slated for completion in June 2027, will house 82 stalls, including a wet market section, hawker centre, and food stalls. It will also have 449 parking bays. Chow said the market — the first and largest of its kind in Batu Kawan — is expected to spur the local economy.
Free Malaysia Today
27-04-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Proposed landfill reclamation creates perception of ‘selling out' to China, says NGO
ProtectKarpal chairman AD Chandrasekaran said the four-year recycling, reclamation and 20-year development plan would choke local traffic, displace small businesses along Karpal Singh Drive and erode the area's appeal. (File pic) GEORGE TOWN : An NGO has urged Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to reject outright the proposed 70-acre reclamation project at the Jelutong landfill, arguing among others that it creates the perception of 'selling out' to China. In a meeting with residents of the Karpal Singh Drive area today, Protect Karpal Singh Drive action committee (ProtectKarpal) chairman AD Chandrasekaran called for the matter to be discussed in the state assembly. 'The DAP-led Penang government and its role in the (ruling) federal coalition risk severe backlash as this arrangement feeds directly into long-standing public concerns about foreign influence. 'If the project is approved, it would confirm critics' accusations against DAP's ethnic Chinese leadership of prioritising China's interests over Malaysian sovereignty, public health and environmental protection. 'Transferring this strategic location to a company directly controlled by the Chinese government raises serious national security implications that cannot be overlooked. 'The state and federal governments must demonstrate their commitment to protecting Malaysian interests,' the NGO also said in a statement. At the centre of the controversy is a land-for-works arrangement involving China Railway Engineering Corporation (M) Sdn Bhd (CRECM), a unit of the China Railway Group. PLB Engineering Bhd's joint development agreement with the Penang government and Penang Development Corporation grants PLB 75% of the 90-acre dumpsite and 70% of any additional reclaimed land in exchange for landfill rehabilitation. A memorandum of understanding between PLB and CRECM also allows the China entity to fund and execute RM1.01 billion of rehabilitation work in return for 90% of PLB's entitled land. Chandrasekaran said under the project, continuous construction and recycling machinery noise is projected to exceed the threshold of 65dB(A) during the day and 60dB(A) at night, thus disrupting sleep, impairing cognition and lowering the quality of life for thousands of residents in the area. He added that the four-year recycling, reclamation and subsequent 20-year development plan would choke local traffic, displace small businesses along Karpal Singh Drive and erode the area's appeal as a recreational and dining precinct. Jelutong MP RSN Rayer, who was present at the meeting, said he would bring the matter up with Penang chief minister Chow Kon Yeow and Sungai Pinang assemblyman Lim Siew Khim.
