Call to freeze plans for village
The heritage status of the Tanjung Tokong Malay village should be sorted out before any redevelopment is approved
GEORGE TOWN: THE Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP) has been urged to freeze plans concerning the Tanjung Tokong Malay village, until matters regarding its heritage status had been sorted out.
The village had been earmarked for redevelopment by UDA Holdings Bhd.
Universiti Sains Malaysia lecturer Dr Siti Nabiha Abd Khalid, who was born in the village, said the state had so far been unable to provide clear answers to what the status meant, although Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng had announced at the state legislative assembly on Nov 3 that Kampung Tanjung Tokong would have its heritage status restored.
"Until everything has been sorted out, we urge MPPP to freeze any approval on the village's redevelopment," she said at a symposium on Development and Good Governance organised by Penang Forum recently.
Muslim heritage adviser Datuk Dr Wazir Jahan Karim said the state government should call for a meeting with UDA to straighten things out. Residents and NGOs should also participate in this meeting.
At the symposium, local concerns of residents' associations regarding the island were also raised, such as the standing order by the MPPP to rebuild the illegally-demolished bungalow at 20, Lebuhraya Pykett, which the developer has yet to comply.
Lebuhraya Pykett resident Yan Lee said they were informed that the MPPP had failed to find the bungalow's plans, but that should not be made an excuse not to rebuild the bungalow.
It was previously reported that the developer had plans to build a multi-million ringgit high-rise residential project on the old bungalow's site on Lot 951 of Lebuhraya Pykett.
Yan said the residents in the Pykett-Khaw Sim Bee-Westlands area were concerned that the project would affect the area's drainage, sewage, traffic and parking and urged for proper sustainability impact assessment (SIA) and traffic impact assessment (TIA) to be done.
Tanjung Tokong Residents' Association (TBRA) representative Lee Laine brought up a flood incident in Taman Chee Seng on Dec 9, which was said to be due to a development project up the hill.
"Following a complaint to MPPP, the developer was just told to rectify the problem. This is a case of the MPPP not watching the hill slope project closely," she claimed, adding that Tanjung Bungah had also seen incidents of blasting, whi ch did not comply to regulations.
Meanwhile, Seberang Prai Municipal councillor Dr Tiun Ling Ta, who also spoke at the symposium, said many areas on the mainland were still under-developed and there were demands for better infrastructure.
"There are also issues of able-bodied people occupying the special parking lots at shopping complexes, a problem that the MPSP claimed to be beyond its control, but we feel the council can do something through its licensing department," said Tiun, who is also a USM lecturer and Society of the Orthopediacally Handicapped Malaysia (Pocam) president.
He also lamented Seberang Prai's illegal cow and buffalo rearing activities in residential areas and industrial estates, especially in Batu Kawan, and the lack of proper public space or parks, which mainland residents could identify with.
Another MPSP councillor, Jeffrey Lim said the council was also dealing with illegal structures in residential and industrial areas, and there were cases of such structures or extensions posing as obstructions to fire engines during emergencies.
He also said MPSP had a 24-hour demolition committee, but it was not effective, as those who flaunt the law were well-versed with the council's legal loopholes, and even dragged in politicians to intervene.
"One option would be to blacklist architects, developers or contractors involved in the construction of illegal structures," said Lim.
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