The dead to make way for Penang road project
Eight tombs to be relocated within cemetery
GEORGE TOWN: Several 100-year-old graves at the United Hokkien Cemeteries will need to be exhumed to pave way for the paired road projects under the Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP).
A spokesman said the relocation of eight tombs that were over a century old at the cemetery was undesirable but necessary.
The relocation of the tombs, he said, was a last resort to make way for the 5.7km bypass project linking Ayer Itam to Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway under the PTMP.
The spokesman said they held several meetings with the state pending the implementation of the bypass project.
“We understand that moving the tombs would not be desirable but it was necessary in order for the highway to be built by the Penang state government.
“As the project involves the hills where the tombs lie, we have to make space for the project as we also understand that traffic is now very congested in Penang,” he said when contacted yesterday.
He added that the eight tombs would be relocated within the cemetery itself.
“The relocated tombs will be in a new area, while the other affected tombs will remain untouched below the bypass. We have already given out notices and advertised through various media and channels to look for the descendants of those interred at the affected tombs.
“However, as some of the tombs are very old, it is harder for us to locate their family members or descendants,” he said.
It was reported in July that work on the 5.7km Ayer ItamTun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway bypass, which is one of the three paired roads under PTMP, is expected to start at the beginning of the second quarter of 2020.
Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the project would affect seven tombs from Lot 1558 and another 12 tombs from Lot 1559 at the cemetery.
He said from the total of 19 tombs, eight would need to be relocated while the other 11 would be maintained throughout the execution period of the bypass project.
Chow said during the execution period of the project, facilities such as parking lots and stairways would be added for visitors who wished to pay their respects at the cemetery.
“The state met with the United Hokkien Cemeteries Penang on May 10, July 23 and Oct 18 to discuss the affected tombs.
“The United Hokkien Cemeteries Penang itself said that it had no right to represent the descendants of the affected tombs in making the required decision.
“Besides, some of the tombs have unclear name carvings and some do not have a headstone. Thus, the state will broadcast the required notice to identify the descendants, especially during the Cheng Beng (Tomb Sweeping Day) period,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Chow said the state, through the Penang Land and Mines Office, had also informed the United Hokkien Cemeteries about the affected tombs.
“The association subsequently published notices for the collection of deceased’s remains through the websites of various Chinese dailies on Dec 23 to look for the descendants,” he said.