GEORGE TOWN – Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow has urged Karpal Singh Drive residents opposing a proposed reclamation project, which is part of the nearby Jelutong landfill rehabilitation project, to voice their objections during the ongoing feedback gathering process.
The suggestion came as the state chief executive was pressured by residents to reject the reclamation project as it would stretch to the entire waterfront and could potentially affect the ecosystem of the nearby Middle Bank seagrass area.
“The environmental impact assessment (EIA) report has been displayed, and all individuals and associations in the state are encouraged to air their views to the developer who is handling the public display.
“Don’t miss this opportunity to air (your) views so that they can be taken into consideration by the (Penang) Environment Department (DoE),” he said in a press conference held at Komtar, today.
He made the statement when asked about the call by the Protect Karpal Singh Drive committee, a pro-tem committee formed by the residents of the waterfront to gazette the Middle Bank located near the landfill as a marine sanctuary.
In 2020, the state government and Penang Development Corporation (PDC) signed a deal with PLB Engineering Bhd to rehabilitate and develop the Jelutong landfill for RM1 billion.
The proposed rehabilitation and reclamation project is estimated to take four to five years to complete. The plan covers about 65ha in total, comprising some 36ha for landfill rehabilitation and the rest for reclamation. The land will be used for mixed development.
Penang DoE reportedly said the reclaimed land, located north of the landfill and adjacent to Karpal Singh Drive, would serve as a working zone for waste sorting, recycling, and environmental restoration.
The Protect Karpal Singh Drive committee opposed the project, saying it is unnecessary and would be damaging to the marine ecosystem. AD Chandrasekaran, who leads the committee, said that the EIA report from the developer overseeing the project indicated that the landfill could be removed and rehabilitated without requiring additional land outside the current site.
State yet to decide how to develop land
Additionally, Chow said that the state government is yet to decide how to develop the 30% of land that will be given to it by the developer, should the project get the go ahead by the authorities, when asked whether the state legislative assembly complex, which is currently located at Padang Kota, would be relocated to the rehabilitated land.
“We (state government) have not discussed the matter because it is premature to say (anything) until this project is completed or started, as we don’t know whether it can be started.
“But any suggestions would still be taken into consideration when the time is right,” said Chow.
In 2015, former state governor Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas reportedly suggested the state government relocate the state legislative assembly complex to the Jelutong landfill area.
According to The Sun, Rahman said that the site is located strategically between the island and Seberang Perai on the mainland, making it suitable to host the legislative assembly. He also said that the current complex was no longer enough or suitable to accommodate the increase in constituencies. – March 28, 2025