GEORGE TOWN, April 13 – A DAP state assemblyman has strongly condemned the DAP-led state government and the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) for approving another high rise to be built on a hillslope in Tanjung Bungah. Tanjung Bungah assemblyman Teh Yee Cheu has today described the approval to build the project on a piece of 10.35 hectares piece of land as being insensitive towards the residents of Tanjung Bungah which is a green area.
Last week, it was reported that the Penang City Council has given approval to a reputable developer for the construction of a 51-storey affordable apartment project near the Tunku Abdul Rahman (TAR) college. “MBPP is very insensitive towards the voice of the public and the state government is taking advantage of the grey area of the Penang Structural Plan which has not yet been approved. “I can foresee this leading to heavy traffic, pollution, social issues in the green area and this is only one of the approved projects as to my knowledge there are not less than five of such projects that are awaiting approval after applications to build have been submitted,” said Teh, who is also known as the Green YB for championing environmental issues.
He claimed that he had been made to understand that more than 51 storeys are going to be built, including a few storeys for car parks. “Whoever approved the project including the State Planning Committee is not at all concerned about the public. “It also does not help that the state government is also being pushed around by developers to build high storey buildings “This will set an unhealthy precedent as developers will argue that this project has been approved so they will argue that they, too, have the rights to develop projects in the same area.
“It is dangerous to approve even one as there will be more applications and pressure to approve them in the future, ” he told reporters at his service centre at Jalan Osman Abdul Rahman in Tanjung Bungah here today. He also asked MBPP to bear responsibility should such projects cause negative consequences in the future. As a sign of protest, Teh has once again shaved his head and gone bald just like he did in protest of the then development in Bukit Relau. Last week, mayor Datuk Patahiyah Ismail claimed that the project had met all conditions, including environmental impact assessment and traffic density.
She also mentioned that two other mixed development projects slated for the same area, one a 49-storey building and the other 34 storeys high had yet to be approved by the council The projects had received flak from the public on the grounds that it would devastate the green lung of Tanjung Bungah area and lead to traffic congestion. Former Tanjung Bungah Residents Association chairman Datuk Dr Leong Yueh Kwong expressed his worry that Tanjung Bungah, known for its green, hilly areas would lose its charm if more of such development take place there. “We are not against development but it should be planned properly; what we see now is there is no proper development plan and in no time, it will wreak havoc in this area,” he said.
