BALIK PULAU: Landowners in two villages here are getting a raw deal from the Penang Government which is acquiring their land for less than half the market value, according to an Umno leader.

Balik Pulau Umno Youth chief Aziaan Ariffin claimed that the state was acquiring the plots in Pondok Upeh and Kampung Genting for RM8 per sq ft when the market price was RM18 per sq ft.

He claimed that the state was acquiring the plots for the branch campuses of two universities.

Aziaan said about 30 landowners in Kampung Genting were affected by the move but did not know how many from Pondok Upeh were involved.

He said they had received land gazettes, dated Aug 15, with the explanation that the land acquisition was for public purposes.

“We heard that the state plans to use 40.47ha of land in Pondok Upeh and 36.42ha in Kampung Genting to build higher education institutions.”

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said he would only comment when he has gathered more information on the matter raised by Aziaan.

Lim had earlier reportedly said that the state government would spend RM100mil to acquire 81ha of land in Balik Pulau for the proposed education hub.

He had said in May that the project was expected to take off within one to two years.

He said the state was trying to attract several world-class institutions of higher learning, including the internationally renowned Al-Azhar University in Cairo, to set up branch campuses in Balik Pulau in a bid to propel Penang as an international centre of excellence for education.

SOURCE: The Star