PETALING JAYA: The Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) and Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) are upset by that the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the Pan-Island Link (PIL) has been approved by the Department of Environment (DOE) with 56 conditions.
We are also shocked that the DOE has approved the EIA despite the public feedback, CAP and SAM president S.M. Mohamed Idris said today.
“We were among many thousands of Penangites and groups who had voiced our deep concerns over the EIA, which had many flaws,” he said in a statement.
“We totally disagree with Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, who claims that the PIL EIA approval marks a milestone in addressing the traffic woes in Penang.”
The PIL is not a long-term solution to our traffic problems, Mohamed Idris said.
“The EIA report claimed that there would be a dramatic time reduction but it ignored its own traffic analysis that full capacity will be reached by 2030, already. To spend an RM 8 billion for this road is a colossal waste of public resources that is not a long-term solution for our traffic woes.
“Moreover, we had also pointed out that the EIA report wrongly claimed that no heritage structures would be affected. This is not true as the Por Tay Buddhist School, St. Nicholas home, Penang Chinese Girls’ High School, Shree Muniswarar temple, the iconic Penang Hill railway, Kek Lok Si temple and the Air Itam dam – are all over 50 years old with cultural and historical significance, that will be adversely affected by the PIL,” he added.
Mohamed Idris said PIL, which is an elevated six-lane highway will completely ruin the Island’s charm as it will be a sight for sore-eyes, with adverse visual impact over green parks and forested hills.
“No amount of mitigation measures will address how the character of the Island will be changed, with such an elevated highway, which will certainly be very ugly.
“We also demand that the government release the 56 conditions imposed by the DOE. Given the huge public outcry over the PIL, it is imperative that the state government not hide the conditions for approval,” he added.
