GEORGE TOWN: Development on hills above 76m, whether approved or unapproved, will be referred to the state planning committee, chaired by Lim Guan Eng.

The Chief Minister said these projects, including those approved as “special projects” by the previous administration, should be referred to the committee, which comprises several state executive councillors.

“At least let us be aware of all projects – even those above 76m. I don’t want to only know about it from the newspapers,” he said to reporters in Komtar yesterday.

“I, as the head of the state government, and state Local Government and Traffic Management Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow do not want to be the last to know. At the same time, we can explore other remedies to prevent projects above 76m from starting.”

Lim also met Sungai Ara residents who have protested over two hillside development projects. He said these were approved on Sept 13, 1996, by the previous state government as a “special project”.

“Following this discovery, we’ve decided that such projects should be referred to the planning committee.

“When this project was reported in the press, it shocked me that this was happening. I thought there must have been a system failure that failed to detect the projects above 76m.

“I contacted Penang Municipal Council president Patahiyah Ismail and she told me that they followed the procedures and passed the requirements as it was taken out of the category as a ‘special project’, and approved by the previous state government,” he said.

Lim said the current state government was unhappy that the 76m limit had been breached because of previous approvals, adding that the details of 31 such projects by the previous state government would be released.

Source: The Star