Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has expressed regret at BN "lies" regarding his announcement that Chinese construction firm Beijing UCG has been speedily awarded the tender for the four-part integrated road system in Penang.

Lim Guan Eng at DAP AGM Lim ( left ) said that state BN chief Teng Chang Yeow's alleged lies include his question whether the federal government has been informed or approved the tender to the joint local-international consortium, Beijing Urban Construction Group (BUCG).

"The federal government was aware of this proposed project as far back as 2011 when both Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and Chinese Premier Wen Jia Bao witnessed the exchange of a Memorandum of Understanding by me for these four highway and tunnel projects in Kuala Lumpur," said Lim, in a statement.

Lim was responding to Teng's question if the state authority had planned such an important infrastructure project properly.

The four projects comprise a 4.2km bypass from Gurney Drive and Lebuhraya Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu, a 4.6km bypass between Lebuhraya Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu and Bandar Baru Air Itam, a 12km paired-road from Jalan Tanjung Bungah to Teluk Bahang, and the 6.5km Penang-Butterworth sea tunnel.

Speed charge nailed

Lim said the open competitive tender was called on Nov 14, 2011 and engagement with the public was carried out in the same year.

"The entire tender exercise was a transparent and accountable process," he claimed.

"How can these four projects be done with amazing speed when the first will be completed after 2017 and the underwater sea tunnel by 2023-25 even though the state government will try to finish it by 2020?" he asked.

Lim said the long construction time is due to the need to comply with Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) requirements. Failure to comply with EIA would mean that the four projects would not go on, he added.

According to Lim, the formal contract is still subject to discussion and expected to be signed in a few months' time and will not proceed if rejected by the people.

Further, the final tender price is not the estimated RM8 billion but RM 6.3 billion awarded to the lowest tenderer - BUCG, he clarified.

No cash is involved but payment will be made in the form of 110 acres reclaimed land in Tanjung Pinang, he explained.

NONE Lim had also spoke in detail on the proposed projects to a group of 10 NGO representatives in a two-hour dialogue session at his office in Komtar yesterday.

For Teng to claim that the reclaimed land is non-existent is a shameless lie as BN had approved the reclamation of 940 acres at a shocking price of RM1 per sq foot and 10 percent of that to be given to the state government, Lim shot back at Teng.

"Can Teng explain why BN had sold the land at such a low and illogical price of RM1 per sq ft?" he asked.