Chow cites legal procedures after landfill project developer given more time

GEORGE TOWN: The Penang government granted PLB Engineering Bhd another extension of time (EOT) to obtain environmental impact assessment (EIA) approval for the Jelutong landfill project to ensure that all future actions comply with legal procedures, says chief minister Chow Kon Yeow.

He said the government had to “follow the timeline” in all its decisions regarding the project.

“Whether the project goes ahead is subject to EIA approval. We must comply with legal procedures so that we don’t face legal complications when making a decision,” he said on the sidelines of a green energy conference at Eastin Hotel, Bayan Lepas here.

Chow was responding to questions about the state government’s decision to grant PLB Engineering another EOT to obtain EIA approval for the landfill’s rehabilitation, despite five failed attempts so far.

The RM1 billion project involves the reclamation of 28.3ha of coastal land beside Karpal Singh Drive. The state government announced on Monday that the developer had been given until Oct 18 to meet the conditions.

Residents’ group Protect Karpal Singh Drive Action Committee urged the state government to explain the latest EOT, saying it went against Chow’s assurance last year that no further extensions would be granted if the developer failed to obtain EIA approval by Feb 26.

The group’s chairman Dr K Ganesh said that if promises changed by the time new deadlines are reached, voters would “naturally question” the value of future promises.

Responding to the group, Chow said: “Do you want the state to get into legal complications? Who will pay for damages? Do they want to share the damages?

“That’s why I say we have to go through legal procedures to make sure that we don’t have to face complications later on,” he said.