Stop giving out development permits, Penang govt told
GEORGE TOWN: The state government has been urged to stop issuing development permits and suspend development projects in flood-prone areas.
Penang Gerakan vice-chairman Lee Boon Ten said the state government must investigate the cause of flash floods and rectify it before allowing any of the projects to proceed.
He said during flash floods on Saturday, many areas were flooded with muddy water.
“The muddy water was brought about by over-development and uncontrolled hillslope development,” he said here yesterday.
Lee said frequent flash floods were the result of the state government’s failure to monitor hillslope developments.
“So, please stop blaming the previous state administration because DAP has been in control of the state for the past nine years.”
Lee said Penangites no longer wanted to listen to the state government’s excuses.
Datuk Keramat assemblyman Jagdeep Singh Deo asked the Federal Government to disburse the RM150 million allocation for the Sungai Pinang Basin Flood Mitigation Project.
“As of today, only RM1 million was given to the Irrigation and to light when operators of two eateries, Ocean Seafood Restaurant and Lover’s Bridge Tanjung Sepat Restaurant, were asked to relocate their premises.
The restaurants are to be demolished to make way for Drainage Department (DID) for a design study. We are tired of waiting. The project could have been implemented during the previous state administration led by Barisan Nasional,” he said at Methodist Boys’ School in Jalan Air Itam here yesterday.
Last year, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar announced that the ministry had approved RM150 million for the flood mitigation project.
Penang Federal Action Council the bridge’s repair work and land reclamation.
The restaurant owners had asked for a postponement, but were instead issued notices under Section 425 of the National Land Code, which can see them chairman Datuk Seri Zainal Abidin Osman said the authorities had to look into the project’s designs in detail before it could be implemented.
“The DID cannot simply take the money and begin construction.
“We do not want the RM150 million to go to waste. We want it to be cost-effective.”
He said the state government should implement small-scale flood mitigation works to prevent flash floods from recurring. jailed up to a year for failing to vacate.
“People are left in limbo because the state government is not communicating with us. Hopefully, MACC will provide some answers,” said Ng.