GEORGE TOWN: Another non-governmental organisation has urged the state government to immediately freeze all approved hillslope projects until the present guidelines for such development are revised.
Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) Penang branch adviser D. Kanda Kumar said the projects would include those that had been approved but had yet to start work and those that had started work but yet to be completed.
“The state government should look into reducing the height of buildings currently allowed for hillslope development. The density of the projects allowed for hilly areas should be looked into as well,” he said.
Kanda Kumar was commenting on the mushrooming of development projects on hilly areas that had recently sparked off criticisms of the state government's development policy by environmentalists and politicians.
On Monday, the Consumers Association of Penang and Sahabat Alam Malaysia had urged the Federal Government, state government and local authorities to halt all hillslope projects and gazette forests and mangrove areas as permanent forest reserves.
S. M. Idris, who is president of both NGOs, said Penang was becoming “unliveable” due to “mindless development”.
Idris said “whichever government” which gave approval for 31 development projects on hill land above 76m should explain the basis for the approvals.
This followed the statement by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng on Thursday that the new administration did not approve a single project above 76m since taking office in March 2008.
In a related matter, Bukit Bendera MP Liew Ching Tong of DAP urged the Federal Government to raise the real property gains tax in an effort to curb housing speculation and rising house prices. - The Star
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