THE public display of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report for the proposed Bayan Lepas Light Rail Transit project has been conducted in 2017, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said.
Replying to Penang Forum spokesperson Khoo Salma Nasution, Chow said that the public display for the EIA report was held from July 19, 2017 to Aug 17, 2017.
“The public were given until Sept 2, 2017 to feedback. The public display notice was also advertised in four major newspapers in Bahasa Melayu, English, Chinese language and Tamil.
“At present, the ongoing public exhibition has nothing to do with the EIA report for the proposed Bayan Lepas Light Rail Transit project.
“This is a railway scheme public inspection exercise and not the public display for the EIA report,” Chow told a press conference at his office in Komtar today.
He was responding to the allegations from the Malay Mail article ‘Penang’s Bayan Lepas LRT: Glorious legacy or white elephant project?’ which was written by Khoo Salma. She alleged that the state had promoted a ‘public inspection’ of the Penang Transport Master Plan instead of a display of the EIA.
Chow said the ongoing railway scheme public inspection exercise was required by the Land Public Transport Agency (APAD).
“The current railway scheme public inspection exercise, at several locations in Penang and Putrajaya, is to be held from Aug 19 to Nov 19 this year.
“Meanwhile, the Department of Environment (DoE) has decided to display the latest EIA report for the proposed Bayan Lepas Light Rail Transit project in their website for the public to view; since the public display exercise for the EIA report has been conducted previously.”
The public can view the report online at https://enviro2.doe.gov.my/ekmc/?eia=bayan-lepas-light-rail-transit-project
“We regret that once again; Penang Forum has made baseless allegations against the state.
“We do not expect Penang Forum to make such allegations; but they still do, without due regard to the legal requirement that we are trying to comply,” Chow said.
Story by Christopher Tan
Pix by Darwina Mohd Daud
Video by Adleena Rahayu Ahmad Radzi