AS rivalling politicians fight over the Penang South Reclamation (PSR) project, the Penang government has already received several approvals from federal agencies.

State traffic management exco Chow Kon Yeow said in July last year, the central Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) gave Penang the nod for its hydraulics study for the reclamation.

He said the department’s headquarters had evaluated the report by engineering consultant Dr Nik and Associates and gave its approval on July 18.

“The consultant had done everything according to DID guidelines. The state DID and Environmental Department (DoE) had been informed of this approval,” he told a press conference at Komtar today.

Chow also revealed that the Marine Department had also accepted and approved the project’s marine risk analysis report last month.

“We received word of the approval last Thursday afternoon, just after we held a press conference on the PSR issue.

“The report deals with how the reclamation will be done and what safety measures the contractor will undertake to prevent accidents.

“This is very good news, but we still need approvals for the social, traffic and fisheries impact assessment reports. Those are now in resubmission stage,” he said.

Chow said the state initially held back the announcement of the approvals received for the project, wanting to wait for more reports to be approved first.

“We wanted to collect all the approvals before making an announcement but so many people have appeared to be ignorant,” he said.

The proposed PSR project involves reclaiming three islands off the shores of Gertak Sanggul and Teluk Kumbar in southern Penang island. The islands are meant to be auctioned off by the state government to fund its multibillion ringgit Penang Transport Master Plan.

Political rivals BN, environmentalists and fishermen have been against the project since it was first mooted a few years ago, citing concerns for the marine environment and the livelihoods of fishermen.

Last week, when Natural Resources and Environment Minister Wan Junaidi Jaafar visited Penang and met local fishermen, he said he was personally against the reclamation idea.

He cited concerns that the project might encroach into international waters, harm the fisheries, and cause other implications.

The minister added that Penang must not proceed with the reclamation without the necessary federal approvals. His remarks led to rebuttals from Penang.

“DID and DoE are departments under Wan Junaidi’s ministry. He should find out from his officers what is happening with the PSR project before he came to Penang and made all those statements.

“We have already taken much trouble explaining the project and its status following remarks that caused confusion, including some mala fide ones.

“Penang does not intend to reclaim the sea without obtaining the necessary approvals. Our consultants are working on the necessary reports to get us the necessary environmental impact assessment (EIA) approval,” Chow said.

Meanwhile, state exco Jagdeep Singh Deo also drew attention to a remark reportedly made by Wan Junaidi in August last year that his ministry “has a mechanism to deter Penang’s land reclamation project if the state government is adamant about pursuing it”.

The remark was cited in a column by land law expert Professor Salleh Buang in the New Straits Times yesterday titled “New Rules on Building Islands”.

Jagdeep, a lawyer by training, said Wan Junaidi’s remark had insinuated that Penang was adamant in pursuing the reclamation, even without complying with all legal requirements.

“We want to clarify that the Penang government never said it was adamant. That is not the stand of this state government. We are applying for approvals,” he said.

Jagdeep also said the column in the NST also focused on Penang’s proposed reclamation and “unfortunately” did not address other such projects in the country.

“Under the law, the EIA must be approved for reclamations. What about the Aman Laut reclamation in Kedah that proceeded without approvals?

“The chief minister has asked the ministry for the status of this case. An illegal reclamation is punishable under the law. Prosecution can be taken but until today we don’t know if that has happened,” he said.

Earlier, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng also announced that the Penang Governor Abdul Rahman Abbas had given consent to the setting up of the state commission of enquiry into last October’s landslide at a construction site in Tanjung Bungah that killed 11 workers.

He said the gazette for the commission of inquiry was issued on December 21 and the state government only received it today.

He said the state secretariat would issue the letters of appointment to the members of the panel – Yeo Yang Poh, Gue See Sew and Professor Ramli Nasir – today.

Lim also said within three months of its first sitting, the commission must send a report to the governor.

The commission will investigate whether the failure of the temporary structure at the work site, which led to the deaths, was due to negligence, recklessness, breach of professional or legal duty, misconduct or a deliberate act or omission on the part of any person, company or authority.

It will also investigate whether all necessary approvals for the construction project had been properly applied for and obtained in accordance to the law; recommend legal or other actions, if necessary, and appropriate measures to prevent similar incidents. – January 3, 2018.