PAKATAN Harapan candidate for Batu Kawan, Chow Kon Yeow is aware that issues such as traffic congestion and housing need attention.Acknowledging that Batu Kawan had experienced rapid development in the past decade, Chow said it was important that these issues be addressed.
“There is also a new housing development taking place here.
“I have taken note of all these issues,” he said during a dialogue at a restaurant in Bukit Tambun, Simpang Ampat.
“My campaign team had organised several walkabouts to meet the community every day since nomination on Nov 5.
“We had a dialogue with local organisations in the Bukit Tambun state constituency and the representatives raised several local issues.
“I also attended a thanksgiving dinner in Taman Tambun Indah and the representative raised the matter of traffic congestion in that area too,” he said.
When asked if there was any difference between his experience campaigning in Tanjong and Batu Kawan, Chow, who is a four-term Tanjong MP, said the two were completely different.
“Batu Kawan covers a larger area compared to Tanjong and the industries are more diverse.
“We have many sectors and industries here including aquaculture, food, cockle farming, poultry farming and fish farming.
“Small and medium enterprises, logistics as well as supply chain industries have benefitted from the industrial development,” he added.
Chow is standing against Datuk Tan Lee Huat from Barisan Nasional-MCA, former Bukit Tengah assemblyman Ong Chin Wen under the Warisan ticket, Wong Chia Zhen (Perikatan Nasional-Gerakan) and Lee Ah Liang (Parti Rakyat Malaysia) in the 15th General Election.
In GE14, Kasthuriraani Patto from DAP won the seat in a four-way fight.
Chow said Batu Kawan had experienced a boom in the past decade, but there was also a need for the planning to be well-coordinated.
Earlier, Chow said the state government through Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) had initiated two projects to mitigate water supply issues in south Seberang Prai.
He said a temporary pump station would be installed to improve pressure in some areas of Mukim 5, south Seberang Prai.
“The Permatang Tinggi temporary pump station will supplement supply from the Sungai Dua Water Treatment Plant via the Bukit Minyak pump station.
“This project is one of the initiatives by PBAPP under its South Seberang Prai Water Supply Contingency Plan,” Chow told Buletin Mutiara at the site in Permatang Tinggi.
He said the project, when completed, could reduce the water supply disruption period to one to two hours daily.
PBAPP chief executive officer K. Pathmanathan said the project was scheduled to be completed by the end of this month.
The second ongoing water supply project is the Bukit Panchor Water Treatment Plant upgrade.
The plant was commissioned in 1997 with a maximum capacity of 11 million litres per day.
It treats water from the main raw water source of Sungai Kechil and supplies a small area in Nibong Tebal.
Chow said plans were ongoing to increase the water treatment output of Bukit Panchor by 10 million litres per day.
“The plan is to construct another dissolved air flotation (DAF) plant in the Bukit Panchor Water Treatment Plant.
“It is similar to the existing one, but the new DAF plant can cater to an additional 4,000 accounts and improve water pressure in south Seberang Prai,” he said.
Pathmanathan said the Bukit Panchor Water Treatment Plant currently supplied to Kampung Sungai Kechil, Kampung Sungai Kechil Hilir, Kampung Sungai Buaya, Kampung Besar, Perda-Tech and its surrounding areas besides Taman Pekaka, Taman Sempadan, Taman Ilmu, Kampung Transkrian and Universiti Sains Malaysia Engineering Campus.
He added that the project was scheduled to be completed in August next year.
