Monday February 16, 2009
Selangor won’t lift hillside ban
KLANG: The state government has brushed off the Works Minister’s comment that hillside development will go on, saying it cannot lift its blanket ban just because a federal minister thinks it is the right thing to do.
“He has to prove the viability of his opinion and we want to see some evidence that it is safe to lift the ban,” said Selangor Local Government Committee chairman Ronnie Liu.
Liu added that a fact-finding mission and in-depth research must be carried out before a decision is made. He said past experience did not reflect Datuk Seri Mohd Zin Mohamed’s optimism that certain hillside development could be carried out again.
He said the state had received many requests from developers, and from its own land task force, to lift the blanket ban on hillside development.
“We are looking into it as these developers, who own large parcels of Class 3 and Class 4 land, are telling us that it is safe to build if it is done properly,” he said.
Liu, however, reiterated that the state needed further convincing before it would even consider lifting the blanket ban.
In George Town, Penang Local Government, Traffic Management and Environment Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow said it would be disastrous to stop ongoing hillside development projects in the states.
Chow said that if these projects were stopped the local councils would have to fork out RM100mil to RM200mil as compensation for developers. He said the state government could only ensure that projects complied with existing guidelines.
“We have taken measures such as issuing stop-work orders on some projects, sometimes even repeatedly, to ensure the developers complied with the guidelines,” he said.
“The state should not be accused of not addressing the residents’ problems as these projects were not approved by the present administration,” said the Penang DAP chairman said when commenting on recent protests held against hillside development.
He said it would be easier if the Federal Government imposed a blanket ban on all hillside projects.
News Poll
- Malaysians express their anger over rape incident
- Angry robber takes it out on baby
- Low’s interview captures world attention
- Girl in coma after fighting off would-be rapists
- Police hope for more witnesses to come forward as man remains unhelpful
- Get-rich-quick firm raided
- Facebook users slam alleged rapist
- Chua: Stop speculating on Ling’s case
- DPM: Charge against Ling proves the legal system is fair
- 5 women of Chinese nationality detained in anti-vice raid
- Low’s interview captures world attention
- Get-rich-quick firm raided
- Girl in coma after fighting off would-be rapists
- DPM: Charge against Ling proves the legal system is fair
- Malaysians express their anger over rape incident
- Asyraf wins Imam Muda title
- Angry robber takes it out on baby
- Aishwarya Rai in town today
- Facebook users slam alleged rapist
- RM1.32bil for 50,000 homes to be built by 2012
RSS