Do the 10 reclamation projects in BN-governed states without environment and social impact assessments pose no impact on fishermen, asked a Penang executive councillor today.

Chow Kon Yeow, who is in charge of the local government, traffic management and flood mitigation portfolio, cited projects in Kedah, Malacca, Perak, Pahang and Johor, as examples.

"The evaluation of any reclamation project should be impartial, taking into consideration all aspects, including economic and social benefits, and feasibility in the long run.

"We urge the federal government to be fair and use the same benchmark in assessing all reclamation projects in the country," he said.

Chow was responding to remarks by federal lawmakers, including Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, that Putrajaya will not support the 4,500-acre Penang South Reclamation project if it "puts sand into people's rice bowls."

The reclamation project is to fund the RM27 billion Penang Transport Master Plan, which is expected to be ready by 2030.

Chow echoed state Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's recent remark that evaluation of the project should be dealt with on technical grounds, and not be influenced by politics.

Chow cited the case the Aman Laut project in Kuala Kedah, and the Malacca Getaway project, which were issued stop-work orders for not obtaining approval from the Department of Environment (DOE), and lacking an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), respectively.

He asked why fines were not imposed on the two projects, as stipulated in the DOE Act.

"On our part, we complied with all the rules and regulations in our application to the federal government for the reclamation project.

"This includes submitting an in-depth and detailed EIA report, with a high-quality hydraulic study that was approved with conditions by the Department of Irrigation and Drainage on Apr 18," he said.

“We hope the federal government will put aside political differences in the evaluation of the reclamation project for the benefit of all Penangites,” he added.