‘Up to state govt to approve RM30b Kedah City Project’

PETALING JAYA: The approval of the RM30 billion Kedah City project is up to the state government, said Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

“Anyone can invest in Langkawi if he has the money. It’s up to the state government to approve it or not.

“This is a project in Kedah so it will be dealt with by the state,” he said after chairing the Pakatan Harapan presidential council meeting here yesterday.

Dr Mahathir was alluding to developer Ting Pek Khiing’s plans to em bark on a multi billion ring git development project in Langkawi.

The Langkawi New City project, expected to cost RM30 billion, is earmarked to be located on 81ha of reclaimed land, west of the island.

The project is expected to be undertaken by Ting’s group of companies.

Ting told Bernama that the project, which would spur foreign investments in Langkawi, would be the biggest ever embarked since he set up business on the island in 1991.

He said the project’s environmental impact assessment had been conducted, adding that the development would be akin to that in Dubai.

Ting was said to have built a hotel on the island in record 100 days for the inaugural Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exposition in 1991, a feat which caught the attention of Dr Mahathir, who was prime minister then.

The Sarawak-born businessman said he had spent more than 20 years on the development plan, claiming that he had won accolades from developers in France, Russia and South Korea.