PENANG has announced a RM10 million allocation to repair hill slopes under the 2019 state budget, following last month’s fatal Bukit Kukus landslide.

Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the state administration viewed the incident seriously.

“It is the state’s main agenda to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future. The state government will allocate RM10 million next year for works to repair hill slopes,” he said when tabling the state budget today.

The October 19 landslide at a road construction site in Paya Terubong killed nine foreign labourers. It was the second fatal landslide in Penang within a year.

In October last year, a landslide killed 11 workers at an apartment construction site in Tanjung Bungah.

Despite the incidents, the state government is adamant that development, including road projects in hilly areas, will continue.

In his budget speech, Chow extended the state government’s condolences to the families of the victims of the Bukit Kukus tragedy.

He also said Penang intends to plant 10,000 trees statewide in the next five years.

The Penang island and Seberang Prai local councils will spend RM5.2 million on the tree-planting initiative, he said.

Chow announced a pilot project to increase recreational green lung to 16.6ha via the Gurney Wharf project off Persiaran Gurney.

The plan to create the longest public park, up to Padang Kota and the clan jetties in Pengkalan Kota, will be implemented in phases. Phase one is estimated to cost RM100 million, with its completion slated for the end of 2021. – November 9, 2018.