Penang CM: Khalid statement that PSR not approved yet is 'technically true'

The statement by Federal Territories Minister Khalid Abdul Samad that the creation of three islands in the Penang South Reclamation (PSR) project is not approved yet is "technically true", said Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.

Khalid's remarks appeared to have been at odds with Chow's claim that the National Physical Planning Council (NPPC), under the purview of Khalid’s ministry, had “agreed with its implementation, by fulfilment of the 18-point advisory notes.”

"It is technically true, as under federal town planning law, Putrajaya can only give advice to states who want to embark in certain large scale projects, not approve them, per se," Chow said at a press conference in Komtar today.

"Under Section 2A(2)(b) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1976, the NPPC is to advise the federal or state government on matters related to town planning as required under the act," he added.

Chow said it was better for the media to use the words "given the green light" instead of "approved" when referring to the three islands as this had led to confusion.

Meanwhile, Chow revealed that the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the three islands, submitted to the Environment Department, was rejected in 2018.

A revised EIA was submitted to the Environment Department this year and will be on public display on April 29.

"Taking into account the 18 advisory points issued by the NPPC and EIA compliance, it would take another year to fully comply with all the set requirements before actual works can take place," Chow said.

“It is in our DNA to obtain all approvals before starting any work. I can’t give you an exact date when we can start, we need to work on the detailed design, financial architecture and it is also subject to how well we can comply with the requirements,” he added. - Mkini