GEORGE TOWN: The Penang government will go through the conditions for approval of the Penang South Reclamation (PSR) project Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report before holding another meeting with the state’s fishermen association.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the meeting with the association was planned to discuss the compensation package for the fishermen, which was among the conditions stipulated for approval of the EIA.
He said the last meeting between the state government and the association was in May this year where the association tabled its proposal for the compensation package to be included in the EIA.
“They had acknowledged (during the last meeting that) in the event that the approval of the EIA report was granted, they had to accept the fact and would move into negotiation on the compensation.
“So, I see it as something positive as they are willing to talk about compensation other than opposing this project. But beyond that, it is now into mitigating the impact as contained in our EIA application,” he told reporters after officiating at the 10th International Model United Nations Camp (IMUNC) at Chung Ling High School, here, today.
Chow said a special task force, headed by state Health, Agriculture, Agro-based Industry and Rural Development Committee chairman Dr Afif Bahardin, would reach out to the Penang Fishermen Association representatives to negotiate on the compensation.
The PSR project involves the development of three man-made islands with a total size of over 1,800 hectares, with parts of the islands to be up for sale.
The proceeds from the sales would then be used to fund projects under the Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP), a RM49 billion mega project aimed at solving traffic congestion on the state’s island side. — Bernama
