GEORGE TOWN: Allegations have surfaced accusing Pakatan Rakyat politicians of giving special preference to their cronies in awarding lots for the Kampung Buah Pala compensation houses.

Following the handing over of keys for the 24 lots on Sunday, it was found that the personal assistants of DAP and PKR leaders received the coveted corner lots.

One went to outspoken villager M. Santha, 49, who works as a special assistant to Batu Uban PKR assemblyman S. Raveen Tharan, while the other went to R. Karunakaran, 65, a personal assistant to state Tourism Development and Culture Committee chairman and Batu Lanchang DAP assemblyman Danny Law Heng Kiang.

Karunakaran said lots had been drawn for the houses and receiving a corner unit had been a pleasant surprise for his family.

“As the lots were drawn randomly by the developer, we were astonished by the results,” he said.

Santha said she was happy with the compensation received as she had been renting a house in Brown Garden, Gelugor, during the interim period.

When asked about the issue during a break in a state assembly sitting yesterday, Deputy Chief Minister II Dr P. Ramasamy denied that the state was involved in the selection of the lots.

“The state had no hand in this. We only mediated the (compensation) deal. Everything else was handled by the developer who drew lots for the houses,” he said.

The 24 double-storey houses were part of a compensation package offered by property developer Nusmetro Ventures (P) Sdn Bhd who are currently developing the former Kampung Buah Pala site.

Source: The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: Ninety-six Bumiputera subcontractors, including that of Class F, are involved in the ongoing Penang Second Bridge project with contracts valued at RM961 million, Works Minister Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor said.

He said these Bumiputera subcontractors made up 48% of the total subcontractors appointed for the project, which was 61.83% completed.

"Of the total, six are Class F subcontractors with contracts worth RM1.5 million," he said in reply to Saifuddin Nasution Ismail (PKR-Machang) during question time at the Dewan Rakyat sitting here on Monday, Oct 24.

Shaziman said the Class F subcontractors were mostly involved in finishing works like the installation of road dividers, road signs and landscaping.

"Right now, the works undertaken at the construction site involved specific and highly-technical works, including the installation and the construction of the superstructure. Some of the works are at sea and beyond the Class F Bumiputera subcontractors' expertise," he added. – Bernama

SOURCE: The Edge Property

A GROUP of residents from the Pykett Avenue, Khaw Sim Bee Road and Westlands Road area in Penang are raising queries and concerns about a high-rise property development in the vicinity.

The group said they were facing existing traffic problems and floods caused by heavy rains, and were worried about the environmental and social impact that the development would have on them.

Resident S.K. Ang of Lorong Pykett said a social impact assessment study had to be carried out along with a dilapidation survey on surrounding houses, to ensure no dispute during and after construction.

“As of now, we already have a spillover of cars in the area from existing residences. And floods will happen when it rains heavily,” she said when met at her house along with 10 other residents on Saturday.

Ang added that residents from the surrounding neighbourhood were also wondering what had happened to the Penang Municipal Council’s (MPPP) order that the developer rebuild a colonial era double-storey bungalow that it tore down without permission in July last year.

In January, the developer was fined RM6,000 by a magistrate’s court for illegally tearing down the bungalow, and MPPP subsequently issued the order for it to be rebuilt. To date, no work has been carried out yet.

It was reported that the developer planned to build four towers for a 315-unit apartment, with a five-storey podium for car park and public amenities on the 1.37ha plot.

“We’re not against development but why can?t it go hand-in-hand with preservation? Just because it’s easier to have development without preservation, doesn’t mean it can’t be done,” Ang said.

Another concern, she said, was the density of the units of the project.

“For an established housing area, the density is normally between 15 and 30 units per acre but the total of units planned for the project has exceeded that,” she claimed.

Another resident S.T. Cheah said that MPPP should ensure the environment was maintained and not disturbed by construction in terms of working hours, noise, dust and dirt.

In an immediate response, state Local Government and Traffic Management Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow said the order to rebuild the bungalow still stands.

He added that discussions were ongoing between the developer and the council.

He also said he was arranging for a meeting with the residents soon to hear and provide feedback for their grouses.

“The council has already implemented the new ruling, where certain areas could have higher density per acre, for more than a year now,”? he said.

SOURCE: The Star

Sunway Cassia @ Batu Maung – Phase 2, an intimate neighbourhood nicely tucked away in Batu Maung, close to the Second Penang Bridge. Sunway Cassia is a green haven, thoughtfully conceived to offer you a healthy and ecological setting to live and enjoy life. It’s a holistic lifestyle perfect for your family.

Other Phases:

• Sunway Cassia – Phase 1
  
• Sunway Cassia – Semi-D (Final Phase)

Property Project : Sunway Cassia – Phase 2
Location : Batu Maung, Penang
Property Type : 3-Storey Terrace
Tenure : Freehold
Developer : Sunway City
Contact No: 04-643 9898

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has said the decision was made after public consultation and it also took into view that BHB had sent a letter of defamation to one of its assemblymen over public remarks in defending the interest of his constituents where the proposed reclamation was to take place.

Some view Lim's decision as one that was right and indicative of the state government's preparedness towards listening to the public, but investors are saying that such a stance could put their future commercial interests at risk.

Some investors were worried that the state government's latest move may be an indicator of how it will react in all future deliberations between commerce and being popular.

Recent issues have put the state government's transparency into question.

Among others, it did not inform the public that the state had inked a concession deal with SP Setia Bhd for the RM300 million subterranean Penang International Exhibition and Convention Centre (sPICE) project. It was only after pressure was exerted on the state that it was forced to divulge details of the project.

Individuals and special interest groups can also attest to writing to the state with questions and concerns on any potential plans to develop Penang Hill, only to find Lim failing to allay concerns or even respond to questions on the future of Penang Hill and whether there were plans for massive development there.

Months after George Town was listed on Unesco's World Heritage List, four property developers with projects in the city's heritage core and buffer zones were told to scale down the height of their projects.

They were told to do this as George Town was at risk of losing its World Heritage Site status because the height of their projects had exceeded a 18-metre or five-storey restriction.

BHB, along with Asian Global Business (AGB) Sdn Bhd, Eastern & Oriental Sdn Bhd and the Low Yat group, had received approvals to build above the 18-metre and five-storey limitation ahead of July 8 2008 when George Town was included on the World Heritage List.

BHB is not the only firm to be adversely affected by the state government's directive.

In the case of AGB, the company had to halt works on its proposed heritage restoration project known as the Rice Miller when the Penang Island Municipal Council did not renew its lapsed planning permission and withheld the building plan.

The company, at the time, had alleged that it was not informed by the council of the height restriction affecting its project when planning permission was given in 2007. The project has since broken ground.

It was in September last year that Lim confirmed that the state and BHB were in advanced stages of negotiation and that it would announce details of the solution and compensation later.

He had also confirmed a media report that BHB would be allowed to reclaim land as part of compensation for having to scale down its Royal Bintang Hotel project from 12 floors to five.

These were inconsistencies, elements hated most by investors when making their investment deliberations.

SOURCE: Business Times