Jagdeep: Action will be taken against those who failed to follow SOP

About 20 members of NGO coalition Penang Forum held a 30-minute candlelight vigil at the site of the landslide in Jalan Bukit Kukus, Paya Terubong, yesterday to mark the first anniversary of the Tanjung Bungah landslide which killed 11 people. The members called for the state to heed the warnings and halt all hillside developments

GEORGE TOWN: Action will be taken against those who failed to adhere and comply with the stan­dard operating procedures at the Jalan Bukit Kukus paired road project site in Paya Terubong.

State Housing, Local Government, Town and Country Planning Committee chairman Jagdeep Singh said he would request for a complete report from Penang Island City Council mayor Yew Tung Seang.

“There was SOP but we are not sure if there was non-conformity to the SOP.

“I need to have a report as to what actually happened before I can further comment on the incident,” he told a press conference yesterday.

The landslide at about 1.30pm last Friday occurred following a downpour in the state.

It caused the hilly areas to collapse and slide down, causing the containers and workers’ quarters to be buried at the construction site of the paired road in Jalan Bukit Kukus.

Seven bodies have since been recovered from the site, with three still reportedly missing.

Three others were saved on that day itself.

Jagdeep said the paired roads in Jalan Bukit Kukus was a public infrastructure project that would benefit the public.

“We have standard operating procedures for such a project to be carried out.

“This project is for the good of the public and will address future needs of the people who are facing traffic woes.

“A contributing factor to the tra­gedy was the excessive rainfall,” Jagdeep said.

Meanwhile, Bukit Gelugor MCA division secretary Wong Chin Chong has called on the Penang and fede­ral governments to review its mega infrastructure projects in the state, including the Pan Island Link 1 (PIL 1) project.

“In the space of one year, two landslides have occurred at construction sites in Tanjung Bungah and Paya Terubong.

“It’s time to re-evaluate such infrastructure projects in the state,” he said.

PIL 1 is an integral part of the Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP) that is designed to solve the island state’s traffic congestion and cater to the economic needs of Penang over the next five de­cades.

The first phase of the PTMP is the construction of the PIL 1 and the Bayan Lepas LRT.

Currently, the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu (LCE) Expressway is Penang’s only spine road, which is often congested.

PIL 1 is expected to serve as a second link with a ring traffic dispersal system connecting the North Coast Paired Road, the Gurney Expressway, the LCE Expressway, Penang Airport and the first and second Penang bridges.