PENANG Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow admits that the tragic landslide at Bukit Kukus has further raised safety concerns towards hillside development but insists that the Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP) “must go on” if the people hope to improve productivity and quality of life.

Calling the growing pushback against the PTMP a “temporary setback”, Chow said the government would intensify efforts to assure the public that all safety measures and considerations have been thoroughly assessed for the transportation project.

Last Friday, the landslide at Bukit Kukus killed nine foreign labourers. Many of the victims were believed to be inside containers on the slope when it collapsed.

The tragedy occurred almost exactly a year after a landslide at Tanjung Bungah, Penang, killed 11 workers, and sparked calls by environmentalists and civil society groups for the state government to halt all hillside developments.

“It is common to see some uprising after a serious incident like this which has claimed many lives and which is most unfortunate,” Chow said in a statement responding to queries by The Malaysian Insight.

“Having said that, for PTMP, we will need to heighten our education and awareness with emphasis on the current issue and give the assurance that all risks have been identified and assessed with mitigation measures in place,” he said.

The PTMP is a comprehensive integrated public transport plan to address Penang’s worsening traffic problem.

The main components of the master plan propose a light rail transit (LRT) system and Pan Island Link 1 (PIL1) highway which stretches 19.5km from Persiaran Gurney in the north to Sg Ara in the south.

Some 70% of the highway will be through tunnels in Penang Hill, Paya Terubong and Sg Ara, prompting fears that the hill-blasting works would pose an environmental hazard and threaten the island’s natural resources.

Chow, however, believed that the people of Penang appreciated “the critical need for PTMP to take off” and reiterated that the government would not back down on the plan.

He pledged to ensure that all approvals and supervision related to the PTMP works will face greater scrutiny, adding that the state government would also embark on more aggressive meet-the-public sessions to allay safety concerns.

“Having said that, the approvals and supervision from relevant authorities will be made more stringent.

“Certainly, our engagement with stakeholders and the public will be intensified,” said Chow in the statement. – October 26, 2018.