The proposed project is listed as 'not approved' on the environment department's website.
The department’s EIA portal, which states whether an EIA report has been approved, rejected or is still being processed, classified the project as “not approved”.
FMT has contacted the Penang government for comment.
This comes days after residents linked to the Protect Karpal Singh Drive action committee urged chief minister Chow Kon Yeow not to give the developer more time if the EIA was not approved.
The RM1 billion reclamation plan involves digging up and rehabilitating the landfill and reclaiming adjacent coastal land north of the Penang Bridge to temporarily dump the unearthed rubbish from the landfill, after which a mixed development project will be carried out on the reclaimed land.
The 65ha site comprises 36ha of landfill and 29ha of new land next to the Karpal Singh Drive waterfront.
Penang Development Corporation signed a deal with PLB Engineering Bhd in 2020 to carry out the project, which was expected to take four to five years, but no visible work has begun.
The project drew protests from residents and environmental groups, who said reclaiming land next to the old Jelutong landfill could affect public health and harm the nearby Middle Bank marine ecosystem.
Middle Bank is a shallow coastal area off Penang’s eastern shore, known for its seagrass and marine life and regarded as an important natural habitat.
Chow previously defended the project, saying the reclamation was necessary to create enough space to safely carry out the clean-up work, and that the project would not affect Middle Bank. - FMT
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