ENVIRONMENTAL concerns in Penang witnessed a spike recently when several issues with regards to development were raised.

• A federal project to expand the Penang Botanical Gardens has allegedly deviated from the original plan drafted four years ago and has caused ire among the NGOs in the state. The Malaysian Nature Society expressed that projects at the Gardens are not being carried out according to decisions made during discussions of public/NGO participation and more importantly, hoped that a proper geo-technical study had been carried out to ensure the safety of the site. Read here. Meanwhile, Friends of Penang Botanic Gardens state that they have informed the relevant authorities about the possibility of a landslide occurring and hoped proper mitigation action would be taken. Read here. In response, the federal government maintained that a geo-technical report conducted by the Malaysian Public Works Institute last year has found that the Penang Botanic Gardens expansion project can be safely implemented. Read here. Also, view here for photo of the maintance problems that the garden is allegedly facing.
• In another incident, the road to the War Museum atop Bukit Batu Maung had become unusable to traffic following a landslide. Read here. Museum authorities had apparently been warning the authorities about soil erosion in the area from a nearby hillside development but to no avail. Read here
• Meanwhile, the Tg Bunga hillslope project problems is still unresolved. Read here, here and here.

Meanwhile, the Penang government is mulling over reducing the development charge, for residential and commercial projects certified to have complied with the green building index (GBI). CM Lim Guan Eng state the move was to encourage the construction of more green buildings, especially government buildings, and make Penang a green state. Read here

For more news on the ENVIRONMENT, read here 

Other news

• Federal Government frustrated over "non-cooperation": The federal government is frustrated with the Penang state government for not cooperating with federal agencies, especially in approving planned projects. Read here
• ICI to add colour to Penang heritage buildings: Rundown buildings in the Unesco World Heritage enclave will be given a new coat of paint in a community project initiated by ICI Paints (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd. Read here
• Penang will consider views of building owners who decline heritage status: The views of owners who do not want their buildings to be gazetted under the National Heritage Act would be considered. Read here
• Guan Eng slams critics for "deafening silence": CM Lim Guan Eng slammed various parties who created a fuss over the earlier issue of the approval of four controversial high-rise projects in the George Town heritage zone, for their "deafening silence" when it comes to the state's efforts to garner funds from the federal government for heritage conservation. Read here
• Maxwell Road pre-war houses to be demolishsed: The Penang Development Corporation (PDC) has appointed a contractor to demolish run-down pre-war houses that are lying vacant along Maxwell Road, posing a safety threat to the public. Read here
• Umno wants fresh study on hardcore poverty in Penang: Penang Umno has called on the state government to carry out a fresh study to determine the number of poor families and hardcore poor in the state. Read here
• MRCB awaits federal govt allocation to start work on Penang Sentral transport hub: Malaysian Resources Corporation Bhd (MRCB) developer of the RM2 billion Penang Sentral Integrated Transport Hub in Butterworth, is awaiting Federal Government allocation to start work on the transport terminal. Read here
  
  

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