THE Kuala Lumpur High Court today dismissed the Penang government’s bid to reinstate the Penang South Reclamation (PSR) project, Free Malaysia Today reported.

Judge Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh rejected the leave application to initiate a judicial review and extend time to allow proceedings to be brought to court.

“In view of the material before me, I am not convinced that the extension of time ought to be allowed.

“Since the extension of time was refused, the court cannot hear the applicant’s (state government) leave application,” he said.

In September last year, the Department of Environment (DOE) appeals tribunal set aside the Environmental Impact Assessment approval for the project.

The members of the tribunal made the decision on the appeal filed by the head of the Sungai Batu fishermen’s unit, Zakaria Ismail, on July 29, 2019 under section 35(1)(e) of the Environmental Quality Act.

The tribunal had ruled on the grounds that it would affect their livelihood.

The state government had claimed the tribunal’s decision was bad in law as it had been made on an “incorrect basis of facts”.

The implementation of the PSR project, covering almost 17sq km, involves the development of three artificial islands with an area of 1,700ha in the waters of Permatang Damar Laut, near Bayan Lepas, to fund various infrastructure projects in the Penang Transport Master Plan worth about RM46 billion. – August 29, 2022.