PENANG: A “Save Gurney Drive” group took advantage of the huge crowd at the Penang Food and Fruits Fiesta 2003 on Saturday to petition against the Penang Outer Ring Road (PORR) project which will affect the famous promenade.
Within hours, the “Gurney Drive, No PORR” committee, which set up a counter outside the prestigious Silverton super-condominium block, obtained 4,000 signatures.
Committee spokesman Tan Tee Beng said copies of the petition would be handed over to the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Penang Chief Minister.
Tan, who is the son of former state Gerakan chairman Datuk Tan Gim Hwa, said the committee would urge both the federal and state governments to save Gurney Drive by halting the PORR project which would involve reclamation of the seafront.
He said a detailed Environmental and Social Impact Assessment and hydraulic study should be carried out on the impact of reclamation.
He also urged the state government to be more transparent and seek public feedback on the controversial project.
Tan said this was the second year the campaign was being held in conjunction with the fiesta and there was now more public awareness on the implications of the project.
“We have been asking the authorities questions pertaining to the project, but to date, we have yet to get the answers,” he said.
The committee’s central co-ordinator Linda Lim urged the state to be more responsive towards the calls of ordinary Penangites.
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