The state government today denied that it had withheld information on the Penang South Reclamation (PSR) project.

The PSR is part of the Transport Master Plan, which is in the pipeline to address the state’s massive traffic woes.

State executive councillor Chow Kon Yeow said “full transparency” was in place in the implementation of the PSR, which is being carried out by project delivery partner SRS Consortium.

“These include disclosure of the request for proposal (RFP) of documents by SRS for public viewing and feedback, which was held from Jan 16 to Feb 17,” Chow said.

“Following numerous requests, the public display of RFP documents was then further extended to Feb 28,” he added.

He was responding to claims by Penang Gerakan that the state was hiding information on the reclamation exercise.

Gerakan also claimed that none of its questions and requests for information related to reclamation in the island’s southern post has been addressed by the state government.

State Gerakan publicity bureau chief Ooi Zhi Yi expressed disappointment at the lack of transparency.

On April 14, Ooi (photo) asked for the progress and details of the SRS reclamation’s environmental impact assessment (EIA) and feasibility studies.

The party’s state acting Youth chief Jason Loo also made an official request for the documents under the Penang Freedom of Information Enactment.

On April 19, state Gerakan vice-chairperson Oh Tong Keong urged the state government to reveal the documents.

“We are not questioning for the sake of opposing, but it is for the purpose of making sure that the interest and benefits of Penangites are guaranteed,” Ooi said.

Details on PSR clarified many times

Chow said the details on the PSR have been clarified many times, since the letter of award (LOA) was issued by the state to its project delivery partner, SRS Consortium, on Aug 2015.

“The LOA stated that among its conditions, the SRS proposal is to be further discussed with the state and the relevant federal agencies and regulatory bodies for the securement of the necessary approvals,” Chow said in a statement.

“All terms and conditions of the implementation of the proposal shall be further discussed and negotiated with the Penang government and incorporated into the project delivery partner agreement to be executed in due course,” he added.

Chow said SRS was still in the process of securing the necessary approvals from the relevant federal authorities. As such, no agreement had been signed between SRS and the Penang government.

He said the latest clarification about PSR had been shared with the media on April 15 in Gertak Sanggul, when the state launched a Fishermen's Community Service Centre in the area.

He confirmed that the land area to be reclaimed was 4,500 acres, consisting of three artificial islands.

“All land will be fully owned by the Penang government,” Chow added.