DEVELOPMENT must continue with emphasis on proper control and safety measures, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said.

He said there were sufficient laws to govern development but admitted the challenge lay in monitoring the projects at the implementation stage.

“Professionals are there to ensure all projects are completed safely. In environmental sensitive areas, there are regulations in place to control such developments.

“I think while we want our consultants to address the concerns of safety at construction sites, development has to continue (with) emphasis on proper control and measures,” he told a press conference at an event this morning.

Chow was asked to comment on calls to the state government to halt all infrastructure projects on hill slopes by Penang civil society, following a deadly landslide in Paya Terubong yesterday that has left at least four foreign works and more still missing.

The landslide occurred at the construction site to build the Paya Terubong pair road. The project is by the Penang Island City Council.

Penang is also proposing to build several new highways, some of which will pass through hills like the North Coast Pair Road in Tanjung Bungah and Teluk Bahang, and the Pan Island Link 1 that will also have tunnels through hills.

On the Paya Terubong road project, Chow said the state will ensure the project continued after the Department of Occupational Safety and Health gives the green light.

He said the city council will also get the contractor to work on improving safety at the site, adding that engineers can be on site to monitor the hill slopes and make sure they are engineered according to required standards.

On civil society groups urging the state to set up an inquiry committee to probe the landslide, Chow said it will be discussed.

“From the visual inspection, the incident is related to the slope and rainfall. An inquiry may not be necessary, but we will discuss this further. If necessary, we will set it up.

“But inquiries are a lengthy process. Meanwhile, the contractor and engineers will have to submit reports on the landslide,” he said. – October 20, 2018.