BALIK PULAU: The Penang government will study the Freedom of Information Appeals Board order to disclose the agreement for the Jelutong landfill rehabilitation and reclamation project before deciding its next course of action.
"The state government will study the issue first before making a decision," Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow told a press conference during his visit to SJK (C) Sin Min in Sungai Pinang, Balik Pulau, on Friday (July 3).
The media had asked him if the state would make the agreement public.
ALSO READ: Jelutong landfill agreement must be made public, Penang FOI board orders
On Tuesday (June 30), the board made the order after finding that the authorities had failed to show how disclosure of the agreement was detrimental to the state.
The decision followed an appeal by Protect Karpal Drive association former chairman AD Chandrasekaran, who sought a copy of the agreement for the rehabilitation of the landfill and reclamation works for a mixed development project in Section 8, Bandar Jelutong here.
Chow said this was only one stage as the judicial system has several levels.
The project came under public scrutiny following calls by Protect Karpal Singh Drive for the state government to halt the plan.
The proposed RM1bil project involves rehabilitating the former Jelutong landfill and reclaiming adjacent coastal land off Karpal Singh Drive.
ALSO READ: Jelutong land reclamation project not new, part of landfill rehab project, says PDC
The 34ha landfill, which operated for more than four decades before its closure, has long been regarded as one of Penang's most challenging environmental legacy sites.
The project was awarded to PLB Engineering Bhd under a joint development agreement signed in 2020 involving the Penang Development Corporation (PDC), the state government and the company.
The rehabilitation component is intended to address environmental and safety concerns at the former dumpsite while unlocking redevelopment potential in the area.
However, the project has faced repeated regulatory setbacks.
The Environment Department (DOE) has rejected the project's environmental impact assessment (EIA) submissions five times, with the latest rejection coming in March over unresolved technical issues and unfulfilled requirements.
