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The Penang state government has no plans to call off the controversial undersea tunnel project, said Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.

The Penang lawmaker said the state has not made a decision to cancel the project as of now.

“Whether it is built or not, we need to reserve land on the reclamation land for the tunnel and connecting roads,” he said in a press conference on Gurney Wharf in Komtar today.

Chow said there will be reserve land set aside from the reclaimed land off Gurney Drive that has been surrendered to the state by Tanjung Pinang Development Sdn Bhd (TPD).

He said it is necessary to set aside the reserve land first so that the state can build roads to connect to the undersea tunnel if it is built.

“The Pan Island Link by SRS Consortium will also connect to the left side of the road reserve on this reclaimed land,” he said.

TPD has completed reclamation work for the 131.09 acres of Gurney Drive foreshore and government reserve land in September 2019 and had progressively handed over the reclaimed land to the state.

Chow said TPD has handed over 90.07 acres to the state government and will continue to progressively handover the remaining amount of land in stages.

He said this is because the reclaimed land needed time to settle therefore it has to be handed over progressively.

The undersea tunnel is part of an overall RM6.341 billion project that included three paired roads.

The project is undertaken by Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd (CZC) and the CZC submitted a draft feasibility report on the tunnel in September 2019.

It was earlier reported that the CZC is expected to finalise the feasibility report in the fourth quarter of 2020.

Source: MalayMail.com

The development of Gurney Drive’s foreshore will be completed by the end of 2023, which will see features such as water gardens, an artificial beach and a coastal grove created on reclaimed land by then.

Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the state government will call for bids for various projects on the reclaimed area, including the Gurney Wharf, which is estimated to cost an overall RM176 million.

Spanning nearly 5km eastward from the foreshore of Gurney Drive, the 131-acre reclamation was completed in September 2019 but has stalled since then.

The reclamation of the foreshore was carried out by Tanjung Pinang Development Sdn Bhd (TPD) as part of a deal to reclaim Seri Tanjung Pinang (STP) Phase II further up north. No costs to reclaim the 131-acres were disclosed.

Chow said works on the Gurney Wharf will begin in the second quarter of 2021, with seven consultants hired to carry out design and other works on behalf of the Penang government.

He said the reserve land meant for a road connecting to the proposed undersea tunnel would be kept, in the event the tunnel project proceeds in future. He said two bridges would be built to another reclaimed island on the east, dubbed “STP 2A”.

Chow said of the 131 acres handed over, 40 acres would be used for the Gurney Wharf project, 50 acres as in-lieu payment for the undersea tunnel and roads project and the remainder would be government reserve land.

As of May this year, TPD has handed over 90 acres to the state government, and the rest would be done in stages, he said.

The companies were selected via the Penang State Tender Board and they are to draw up detailed designs for each of the components in the Gurney Wharf project.

At the same event, state Local Government Committee chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo said the project received full support from the locals, with 90% agreeing based on a survey of 1,000 people.

Source: FreeMalaysiaToday.com

The Penang state exco has approved a requirement for developers to install fibre optic telecommunications infrastructure in new development projects, said state exco Zairil Khir Johari.

The Infrastructure and Transport Committee chairman said it is now compulsory for developers to comply with this requirement for any new development projects in Penang.

“This is part of the state’s strategic Penang Connectivity Master Plan for the need of telecommunications infrastructure to become part of the required basic infrastructure provisions under By-Laws 25 and 27 of the Uniform Building By-Laws 1984 at the local council level,” he said in a statement today.

Zairil said the compulsory requirement meant that fibre optic infrastructure is part of the basic infrastructure of any development on the same level as electricity and water supply.

“Penang is the first state in Malaysia to implement this policy to acknowledge the importance of fibre optic infrastructure as a basic infrastructure for all developments,” he said.

He said the decision to make the installation of fibre optics infrastructure compulsory was to support the availability of high speed internet since copper-based internet is no longer relevant now.

The Penang lawmaker said the state is committed to ensuring the availability of high quality digital infrastructure to support the needs of the new normal and the digital economy in the state.

“The enforcement of this new policy is not only the main enabler to reach our goal of becoming the first Gigabit State in Malaysia but will also hasten the process of implementing 5G technology that is soon to be realised,” he said.

He hoped that with this new policy, other than providing high speed internet for the people, it would also spur the digital economy as an important growth sector for the state.

Source: MalayMail.com

About Metropol

A mixed development by Ramana Property at Bandar Perda in Bukit Mertajam. It is located near Jalan Perda Utama roundabout, featuring less than 10 minutes drive from Penang bridge. Featuring 326 residential units with built-up size ranging from 810sq.ft. to 1,845sq.ft. Amenities such as schools, hypermarket, banks, shopping malls, and eateries are only a few minutes drive away.

Find out more about Metropol

Anggun Residences, a high-rise residential development by PE Development (Penang) Sdn. Bhd at Batu Kawan. Strategically located next to Design Village, less than 2 minutes drive to the IKEA and Central Island Park at Aspen Vision City. It’s only about 20km away from the key employment center of Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone via 2nd Penang Bridge.

This development will see the construction of a 35-storey condominium, offering 496 residential units with various facilities.

More details to be available upon project launch.

Project Name: Anggun Residences
Location : Batu Kawan
Property Type : Condominium
Built-up Size: (to be confirmed)
Total Units: 496
Indicative Price: (to be confirmed)
Developer : PE Development (Penang) Sdn. Bhd.

Location Map:

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