NGOs against land swaps

GEORGE TOWN: The Penang Government should use state land as collateral to obtain loans from banks to start proposed mega road and sea tunnel projects. This is better than allowing developers to deal in land swaps and be given the right to reclaim prime land near or off Gurney Drive in exchange for RM8 billion worth of such projects, said Sahabat Alam Malaysia and Consumers’ Association of Penang president S.M. Mohamed Idris. Idris said there should also be a public hearing and an inquiry of all reclamation and mega pro- jects before they were awarded to avoid unnecessary compensation later. Idris said that in Hong Kong and Singapore, the governments reclaimed the land on their own and sold them for higher profits. Idris was commenting on the state government’s proposal to adopt a land swap scheme with developers to build three roads and a tunnel. The roads are a 4.2km road from Gurney Drive to the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu expressway, bypassing the city centre; a 4.6km road linking Bandar Baru Air Itam to the same expressway and a 12km dual-carriage road from Tanjung Bungah to Teluk Bahang to pair with the existing coastal road. The 6.5km sea tunnel is to connect Gurney Drive on the island to the north of Butterworth. On the proposed RM120mil Escape Theme Park project in Teluk Bahang, Idris said there was no need for such a park in the state. Penang Institute senior research fellow Datuk Dr Goh Ban Lee is also not in favour of the road and tunnel projects, saying they would only bring in more vehicles into the island. “We should look into adding more buses and bus routes to improve public transport. What would a high-cost tunnel do for Penang other than reduce travelling time?” he said. Malaysian Nature Society advisor Kanda Kumar said that if the land was to be reclaimed for the project, the government must ensure that they should not be converted into freehold status. “At least leasehold land will not be given away permanently. If we keep on giving away land and then reclaim some more, the environment will be damaged,” he said. Penang Citizens’ Awareness Chant Group advisor Y.C. Lee said there should be public hearings held for any proposed reclamation or mega infrastructure projects. “Such projects may be sustainable, but there should be a proper study, public comment and feedback on them,” he added. - The Star