The New Straits Times has been told to 'stop your lies' over their reports  alleging 'rampant' quarrying in Penang.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the operating licenses in the state for quarrying were issued by the previous BN government.

“How many lies do you want to make?” Lim asked, directing his question to a NST reporter during a press conference today.

“If you want to divert attention from the 1MDB issue, we understand but do you know when were the quarry licenses approved?” he said.

“Go and check when they were approved. By the previous state government, isn’t it? If you cancel the quarry licenses, what do you have to do?” he asked further.

“You know the answer. You pay compensation. You have a lot of money?” quipped the chief minister ( photo ).

Lim said he refused to answer questions by the NST as he claimed the newspaper never gave him a 'fair hearing'.

"It's all a case of distortion and lies".

He added that the quarrying matter was an old issue, and the query had already been addressed by the state government many times.

Lim also denied the state's forest area had been reduced due to the quarrying activities adding Penang only approved projects below 76 metres in dismissing claims of illegal hillside development.

"So stop with your lies, we have had enough," he said.

On Monday, NST front-paged a report headlined ' Quarry pain for Penang ' in which the newspaper alleged that such activities were 'fast changing the landscape' of the northern state.

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The report claimed that hills have been 'blasted and stripped bare' and quoted residents as predicting that some areas will be flattened soon.

The daily identified Juru, Bukit Tambun, Batu Kawan, Berapit, Kubang Semang and Simpang Empat as areas where quarrying activities were being rampantly carried out.

The NST also quoted the Consumers Association in Penang as saying the quarrying demand was due to rapid development and reclamation projects in the state.

Jumping onto the bandwagon was the Malaysian Nature Society whose immediate past president Dr Maketab Mohamed was quoted by the paper as condemning the Penang government over the matter.

According to NST, Maketab called for amendments to the Federal Constitution, saying states should not have sole discretion over land matters.

Seberang Perai Municipal Council's Rozali Mohamud, meanwhile, said the council was monitoring 34 quarry sites on the mainland.

in his report to state executive councillor Chow Kon Yeow, he said of the 34 sites, 13 had either ceased or had been temporarily halted while 21 were still active.

Rozali has called for the review of the latest Penang Quarry Rules, currently being done by the state legal advisor, to be hastened as the present rules were not adequate to monitor quarry sites.