Verify your facts before accusing me, Teng tells Zairil

GEORGE TOWN: Zairil Khir Johari should do his homework first before making baseless accusations against the previous state BN administration on approvals of hillslope development, said Teng Chang Yeow.
The Penang Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman ticked off his Tanjong Bunga opponent for alleging that he had approved 23 hill slope projects as the exco member for Tourism and Environment from 2004 to 2008 under BN.
"The approving authorities for all these projects are under the council. We don't have the authority to approve the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (DEIA) reports. It is approved by state Department of Environment (DOE) and Putrajaya," he said at a press conference today.
Teng, nonetheless, also took a shot at the DAP led caretaker state government for approving 39 of such projects under their watch.
The issue of hillslope development been harped on following the tragic landslide incident which claimed 11 lives in Tanjung Bungah last year.
This has irked several non-governmental organisations (NGOs) which have asked the state to stop all the development projects.
BN has been using the environment issue to hit out the DAP-led state government while residents of high-end condominiums have also questioned state's commitment in resolving the issue.
Earlier, Zairil in a press conference had asked Teng whether he has forgotten about the approval of 23 hill development projects when he held the exco position.
"Why should everyone trust him now when he (Teng) failed to protect the environment last time? I don't think anyone can trust him, " he said.