Works Minister Fadilah Yusof reminds Penang CM that state govt is not exempt from the law over possible environmental impact from construction of undersea tunnel.
Works Minister Fadillah Yusof says the Penang Bridge is now at 87% capacity and the second bridge at 50%.
PETALING JAYA: Works Minister Fadillah Yusof today dismissed Lim Guan Eng’s accusation that the federal government wants “Penangites to choke to death in traffic”.
He said that instead, Putrajaya was constantly helping Penang to resolve its traffic issues.
“The government cares about Penang through infrastructure building and continuous road maintenance which are given priority,” Fadillah said in a statement.
He also reminded the Penang chief minister that the state government was not above the law when it came to the approval of mega infrastructure projects, such as the undersea tunnel.
“There are laws governing the environment in the country and Penang is not exempt from adhering to them.
“All mega infrastructure projects must comply with rules set by the local authorities, environmental laws and also take into account the socio-economic aspects in that area.”
On Sunday, Lim claimed that Barisan Nasional would “choke Penangites to death in traffic”, after Prime Minister Najib Razak said he would cancel the undersea tunnel project if BN took over Penang in the upcoming general election (GE14).
The undersea tunnel project is part of the Penang government’s initiative to alleviate traffic on the first bridge and to improve connectivity between George Town and Butterworth.
Lim had previously said the undersea tunnel was needed as the Penang Bridge will reach its capacity by the time the tunnel completes its construction in 2027.
As works minister, Fadillah had previously sparred with state government leaders over compliance, especially over reclamation and the undersea tunnel issues.
He also reiterated what he had said before, that building an undersea tunnel to connect George Town and Butterworth might not be worth the cost as the two bridges were not fully utilised.
“The Penang Bridge is now at 87% capacity and the second bridge is at 50%,” he said.
In its election manifesto, BN pledged to cancel the undersea tunnel and roads project and the Penang South Reclamation Scheme, commonly known as the three islands’ project, if it wins Penang in GE14.
BN also pledged to resolve traffic congestion in three years, through a traffic dispersal plan and new interchanges at congested locations.
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