Guan Eng apologises to Sungai Lembu residents over factory

GEORGE TOWN: Lim Guan Eng (pic) has apologised to the residents of Sungai Lembu over the illegal carbon filter factory operating near the village.

"I don't deny that the factory has had a negative impact on the villagers and I apologise to them on behalf of the state government if it had brought them problems," he told reporters after attending a public event on Tuesday.

He said the factory had been able to operate for over 10 years because of a state policy not to demolish or close down illegal structures or businesses that existed before DAP took over Penang in 2008.

"I also want to apologise to hawkers and owners of illegal structures who are dissatisfied when demolition works are carried out, but we have to be consistent.

Lim said that people had questioned why only certain structures were demolished, but added that these people did not point out whether the structure was built before or after 2008.

He said the policy was created because the current state government had "inherited" these illegal structures and businesses.

"We wanted to find a solution to legalise them, but we are caught in the middle. We are criticised if we demolish them and also if we don't," said Lim.

The Sungai Lembu factory recently gained national attention when the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission arrested state environment committee chairman Phee Boon Poh for allegedly writing two letters to the local authority, urging it to not take action on the factory.

It was reported that since 2015, Penanti assemblyman Dr Norlela Arffin had made several complaints about the factory, claiming that the plumes of smoke it emitted had been the source of misery and health problems for the villagers.