Rahman to Lim: You can sell land for RM6b but can't pay for bridge drawings?

It is ridiculous for Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to expect the federal government to approve a third bridge to the island state without seeing any blueprints first, said an Umno minister.

Urban Wellbeing Housing and Local Government Minister Abdul Rahman Dahlan also rubbished Lim's assertions that it would cost too much to do the drawing first

"How in the world would the federal government approve a proposal without a drawing of the bridge?

"He (Lim) says the federal government should approve it first before he gives a drawing. It's a ridiculous answer," Rahman told Malaysiakini.

He added that paying for the blueprints should not be an issue as Lim is allegedly selling over 100 acres of "prime seafront land" on Penang Island for RM6.3billion to Consortium Zenith BUCG (CZBUCG) for the state's underwater tunnel project, and had paid RM305 million for a study on the tunnel.

Earlier today at a press conference in the Parliament lobby, Lim said they would only furnish blueprints for the third bridge after Putrajaya approves the project.

"We hope the minister in charge will consider our request because blueprints for the bridge are very expensive.

"Give the approval first, becaue without it, it would be very difficult for us to allocate funding to complete the drawings," Lim had said.

The issue of the third bridge cropped up after Rahman slammed the DAP secretary-general over alleged plans to charge toll fees for the underwater tunnel.

In response, Lim said he would abandon the tunnel project if the federal government approved a third bridge connecting Penang island to the mainland.

Works Minister Fadillah Yusof, however, said the Penang state government had never made a request for a third bridge. -Mkini