PENANG Gerakan has urged the DAP-led state government to invoke Section 27(8) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1976, to ensure land at Bukit Relau, also known as “Botak Hill”, is restored to its original condition.

Its Youth acting chief, Jason Loo, said the state government has failed to keep its promise to green the area, following excessive land clearing that took place in 2013.

He said a report in November 2015 stated that Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng had said Botak Hill’s condition would be restored by the end of 2016.

“If you don’t come here, you don’t know the exact condition. Some people who cross the bridge say Botak Hill is still in very bad condition. But some say, ‘No, no, no… it is now better’.

“I am surprised that in the past few years, they have not mentioned the restoration,” he told reporters after visiting the hill today.

Excessive land clearing at the hill had drawn protests from various quarters, who questioned the credibility of the state government.

The Penang Structure Plan 2020, gazetted on June 28, 2007, bans development in areas more than 76.2m above sea level and on slopes with a gradient of more than 25°. – Bernama, March 25, 2018.