Friday June 22, 2012
Reveal details of all hillslope projects, state govt told
By WINNIE YEOH
winnie@thestar.com.my
GEORGE TOWN: Two Barisan Nasional leaders have hit out at the state government for only wanting to reveal details of hillslope projects approved in the state from 1985 till March 2008.
They have demanded that the state government reveal technical reports on all hillslope projects approved from 1985 until this year.
State Barisan publicity bureau committee member Tang Heap Seng said there should not be a selective approach.
“Since the state government wants to declassify the information and files, it is only appropriate that they include the latest approved projects,” he told a press conference at the state MCA headquarters here yesterday.
He was responding to state Local Government and Traffic Management Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow’s statement that the state would soon reveal the names of state executive councillors, local councillors and high ranking state officials who attended meetings to approve 37 projects on land above 76.2m from 1985 to March 2008.
Chow said the move was to refresh the memories of the previous state government officials, and at the same time clear the air on how the projects were approved and by whom.
David Yim, who is Penang Barisan chairman Teng Chang Yeow’s special officer, also questioned the motive of the state government in revealing the documents only till March 2008.
“Is this the kind of transparency that they are preaching about?” he asked.
He also urged Penang Municipal Council president Patahiyah Ismail to provide more details on the approval given to two projects in Sungai Ara.
“She has stated that one of the projects was first approved in 1996 but council records indicate that the project was approved in February this year.
“There’s also another housing project there which is being undertaken on a former school land which was converted to state land in 2003.
“Under council policy, land cannot be converted for housing, commercial or industrial use.
“However, houses are being built at the site,” he said.
Yim said basic information on approved hillslope projects was available on the council’s website but there was a stark difference between the ones approved before March 2008 and after that.
“For those projects approved before 2008, the date of submissions, purposes, the name of applicants, consultants and the date of approvals have been provided.
“But for those approved after 2008, only the lot numbers, districts, locations and the name of applicants are available,” he said.
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