Sungai Pinang residents cry foul after request for funding is turned down

GEROGE TOWN: Residents near Sungai Pinang here have their hearts in their mouths every time a rainstorm breaks as they fear the effect of flash floods after an application for a flood mitigation project there was turned down by the federal government.
Football coach Noor Azizah Ibrahim, 42, was very upset after finding out the RM450million proposal was not approved and questioned the rationale behind the decision.
She said she had to contend with snakes and monitor lizards entering her home in nearby Jalan P. Ramlee if the river burst its banks during heavy rain.
"The last time the floods hit us was during Hari Raya this year (in July). I just grabbed whatever I could," she said and pointed to her chest to show how high the flood waters were then when met today.
Traditional confectioner Rosnah Mohd Bakri, 46, said she feared for herself and the safety of her children whenever bad weather broke.
"Who is going to pay for the damage caused by the water? Projects which benefit the 'rakyat' (people) should be approved," the single mom said.
At a press conference earlier, Penang Housing and Town and County Planning Committee chairman Jagdeep Singh said the project was one of seven totaling RM805.4million applied for under the 11th Malaysian Plan (11MP).
He said he found out all seven were not approved when Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng announced the state budget at the State Legislative Assembly last month.
He urged the federal government to carry out a RM150million flood mitigation project at the river which was included in the 9MP and 10MP.
He said the state had already done their part by relocating all the residents along the river bank.