‘I’M NOT AWARE OF AG’S REPRIMAND’

Guan Eng says state will ask the Federal Govt to expedite irrigation and drainage projects

CHIEF Minister Lim Guan Eng has pleaded ignorance to a charge in the Auditor General’s Report 2016 Series 1 that the Seberang Prai Municipal Council failed to dispense its drainage contribution to the state Irrigation and Drainage Department (DID) last year.

The report, tabled in July, stated that until June last year, the council was withholding RM22.09 million.

Asked to comment on the matter, in light of Friday’s flash floods that affected some 100 locations statewide, Lim said he was not aware of the AG’s reprimand.

“I need to refer to DID, but all the (flood mitigation) projects that we have approved are carried out by the department. DID is a federal agency, but we work with it.

“I need to check (the report). I am not in the know about (this) issue, but we will ask the Federal Government to expedite DID projects in the state.”

On Saturday, Berita Harian reported that Penang Public Accounts Committee member Datuk Muhammad Farid Saad had highlighted the failure of the state authority to hand over the contribution, which was to be used for water dispersal projects.

Lim said state Local Government, Traffic Management and Flood Mitigation Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow had stated that the Federal Government had announced the development of flood mitigation projects costing RM1.4 billion for Penang, but only RM300 million had been spent.

“Maybe it has to do with the report. What’s important is for these projects to proceed.

“We will write a letter to the Federal Government to expedite usage of the remaining RM1.1 billion for projects.

“We want to cooperate with everyone.”

Last month, Chow had instructed the council to hand over funds collected from developers to DID to facilitate the implementation of flood mitigation and drainage projects.

He had said that the state government, the council and DID had accepted the reprimand from the AG on weaknesses in transferring the remaining contribution money, and would rectify the matter.

He had said that all funds collected were strictly used to implement flood mitigation and drainage projects, and had not been misappropriated.

Farid, who is also Pulau Betong assemblyman, pointed out that last year, four areas in Seberang Prai Tengah were hit by flash floods 21 times.

PKR Penanti assemblyman Dr Norlela Ariffin called on the state government to reveal the funds collected from developers to carry out flood-mitigation projects and build drains in the state.

Thousands of people woke up to a flash flood on Friday, with chest-high floodwaters crippling many parts of Penang.

The floods claimed the life of factory worker Noor Afidah Yahunas, 30, who was reported missing after she fell off her motorcycle into a culvert in Paya Terubong.

The state government had said that record-breaking rainfall contributed to the floods, which were among the worst in the state’s history.

All the (flood mitigation) projects that we have approved are carried out by DID.

LIM GUAN ENG

Penang chief minister