Why no display of EIA report on Penang Hill project, asks SAM

 

An artist’s impression of the Penang Hill cable car.

PETALING JAYA: Sahabat Alam Malaysia today said it was wrong for the director-general of the environmental department to approve the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report for the Penang Hill cable car project without public display or feedback.

In a statement today, SAM president Meenakshi Raman said under the Environmental Quality (Prescribed Activities) (Environmental Impact Assessment) Order 2015, all activities that relate to “transportation” were listed as a Second Schedule activity and required public display and comment.

Under the Second Schedule of the EIA Order, “transportation” is listed as a prescribed activity and includes the “construction of new routes or branch line for a mass rapid transport project”, she said.

Meenakshi said the cable car project can be considered a “mass rapid transport project” as it involved the transportation of 1,000 passengers per hour to the top of the hill.

She said the 2.7km cable car line cut across environmentally sensitive areas involving both Penang Hill, which is a biosphere reserve, and the Penang Botanical Gardens.

Moreover, the cable car project also involved slopes that are steep and beyond the 35-degree gradient in parts.

“Hence, from the legal, environmental and social impact standpoints, it would have been proper and prudent for the EIA to be made public for comments and feedback.

“We were told that only 50 trees will be moved for this RM245 million cable car project and it is environmentally friendly.

“That may be the view of the authorities, but it is for the public to make an independent assessment of these assurances.”

Meenakshi said granting approvals without transparency undermined public confidence.

“We call on the DoE and the Penang state government to make public these documents and not commence further work until the public is given a chance to provide their feedback on the cable car project.”

FMT has reached out to the state government for comment.

FMT reported last month that the cable car project had received a key environmental approval, with construction to begin next month as planning approval permission from the city council had already been obtained.

Penang Hill Corporation general manager Cheok Lay Leng said the EIA approval for the project was obtained in January and the project would take about 18 months to complete. - FMT