Press Release 29 December 2017
MAKE PUBLIC STATE ACTION PLAN ON PAIRED ROAD PROJECTS
The
Tanjung Bungah Residents Association (TBRA) deeply regrets the approval
by the Department of Environment (DOE) of the Environmental Impact
Assessment (EIA) for the three paired road projects on 10 November this year.
TBRA
has learnt about this from the Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP)
who were informed about the EIA approval by the DOE.We also have learnt
that the Penang State Government was required by the DOE to submit an
‘Action Plan’ based on all the issues raised by the public, prior to the
EIA approval and this was complied with by the State.
TBRA
therefore calls on the Penang State Government to make public the
Action Plan so that we can assess if our concerns have been addressed
effectively.
We
also want to know if the Action Plan has addressed concerns arising
from the most recent floods and landslides that occurred on November 5 this year and whether and how this has been taken into account in the construction of the roads.
TBRA
had raised our concerns regarding the North Coastal Paired Road (NCPR)
from Teluk Bahang to Tanjung Bungah both to the DOE and the Penang State
Government.
TBRA
had pointed out serious environmental and social impacts of the NCPR
especially for thousands of residents living along the road alignment.
What is even more disturbing is the fact that the heavy rains that resulted in the Nov 5 landslides and floods involve parts of the areas along the proposed NCPR road alignment in TanjungBungah.
The EIA had revealed that about 46% of the proposed road will be on terrain with a higher than 25 degree slope, are well known to be ‘sensitive hill lands.’
How and whether the Penang State Government and the DOE have addressed this concern remains a mystery to us.
TBRA
had appealed to the DOE to reject the EIA and had called on the Penang
Government to have a dialogue session with all residents along the road
alignment of the to explain the full details of the road and seek their
feedback.
We deeply regret that our calls and concerns have thus far not been met by either the DOE or the State Government.
Now
that the State has provided an Action Plan to the DOE, it is vital for
this to be made public urgently and to seek public feedback, as this
will be in line with the spirit of the State Government being
transparent and accountable to the people of Penang.
TBRA also pointed out and continues to maintain that the ‘saving’ of 14 minutes of time travelled between Tanjung Bungah and Teluk Bahang at a cost of RM 1 billion for the NCPR will soon vanish once more traffic demand is generated by the new road in the coming years.
What
has also not been made clear how the State is going to disperse the
traffic from the NCPR that ends in Lembah Permai inTanjung Bungah to
Straits Quay.
It
therefore incumbent on and imperative for the State Government to be
fully transparent on the need for the NCPR, the implications of this to
the residents affected by the road, what alternatives were considered
and deemed not feasible and how the Action Plan addresses all the concerns of the public.
Meenakshi Raman
Chairperson,
Tanjung Bungah Residents Association
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