Call to scrap proposed North Coast Paired Road
Tanjung Bungah residents want the proposed new road from Teluk Bahang to their neighbourhood scrapped after realising it entails deforestation and construction on slopes with gradients steeper than 25 degree.
Through the Tanjung Bungah Residents Association (TBRA), 400 of them signed a petition against the North Coastal Paired Road (NCPR).
TBRA chairman Meenakshi Raman said the environmental impact assessment (EIA) showed that 3.34ha of gazetted forest reserve will be cleared for the road.
“Tracts of the Teluk Bahang Forest Reserve and Bukit Kerajaan Forest Reserve will be deforested. How can this be allowed?” Meenakshi said during a press conference at the Tanjung Bungah market yesterday.
She said the EIA revealed that 46% of the proposed road would be on slopes with gradients higher than 25 degrees.
“The EIA is clear that slope instability risks will be high. Mitigation measures are suggested, but haven’t we learnt enough about Penang’s development? The island is sensitive to landslides,” she said.
The residents urged the Department of Environment (DoE) in writing not to approve the EIA. A copy of the letter was also forwarded to Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng on Aug 21.
The NCPR is a 10.53km four-lane road that is part of the Penang Transport Master Plan and is under the purview of Consortium Zenith Construction. It is part of the traffic dispersal system of the Penang Undersea Tunnel project.
The residents are also confounded by the cost. Meenakshi said in 2011, the estimated construction cost and land acquisition cost of the NCPR was RM1bil.
She felt the EIA should have included a cost-to-benefit analysis and “for RM1bil, can’t we think of other alternatives to the traffic problem?”
In response, state exco member Lim Hock Seng clarified that the clearing of the forest reserves was studied in the EIA as a requirement, but the state is planning to avoid it.
“The first phase of NCPR is from Batu Ferringhi to Tanjung Bungah. The Teluk Bahang stretch, where the forest reserves are, won’t happen so soon.
“Although it is studied in the EIA, we do plan to continue examining alternatives and avoid deforestation,” said Lim.
Source: TheStar.com.my
Complain for what? Penang gov paid RM120,000,000.00 for report for this 12km road already. Who they think they are to complain.
@Gabriel
120 million just for the f@cking report?? Oh wow……that’s how you channel a huge sum of money into somewhere you want it to be, if you know what I mean.
The present winding coastal road now is very dangerous and can collapse at any moment due to sea erosion. Just have a check over some glaring cracks along the Miami beach should be able to notice that.
Jeff, if you’re talking about cracks, the cost of repairing the cracks will only be a very very small fraction of the cost that you need to build paired roads, minus all the environmental damages.
AIYA, it is all about selfish-ness for those who object it. Because the highway will build right in front of their house and bring noise/dust pollution to them, also drive down their property value.
For these bunch of people, their mindset is “YAYA I like more highway to be built, please help solve congestion. WHAT?? U want to build highway near my house? NO WAY! Don’t want I don’t want that highway, go away!!!!!!! Go build elsewhere! ”
Selfish, very selfish….
@DaddyYankee
Oh I see, it’s that simple !?
@Jeff,
Yup, just that simple, but of course they always like big big projects, that’s how you channel big sum of money out of the coffers. *sigh*.
Don’t you worry at all ! Even the projects are getting the approvals now, they will not be able to do it ! No money to even start it at ll !
@DaddyYankee
I am convinced you are a very smart fellow !
This narrow minded people want development and good highway to travel…they want a good bridge and convenient when travel…but now this narrow mind people want to object when state govt. want to build all this development in their neighborhood..cannot build in front of their house? But this same people still want to use all this development that built in front of other people property?!!…
@blackbone
Totally Agree
@blackbone I also agreed.
As long as deforestation n Cutting dn trees. We msian n pg ppl must defend n fight all the way. Global warming is real. If u can’t stop it . don’t make out Worst
All the people who now dislike the proposed road must have known the route for a considerable time before it was approved! How typical and selfish and asinine are they to complain now This proposal has been around for so long it has got spiders webs hanging from it. Get real YOU HAD THE TIME BUT LEFT IT TO THE LAST MINUET, USUAL LOCAL ATTITUDE- CANT BE BOTHERED1
For me this road is a need.