GEORGE TOWN, May 14 ― The proposed reclamation of the Middle Bank in the Penang Channel has not yet been approved, said Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.

The Air Putih state assemblyman said the state had only requested for proposals to appoint engineers to conduct a feasibility study of the proposed project.

"We have not even appointed the engineers nor started the evaluation on why it should not be done," he said in a press conference today.

Lim was responding to objections against the proposed reclamation by assemblymen from both sides of the political divide, citing environmental concerns.

The Middle Bank, located near the man-made Gazumbo island, consisted of a sea grass bed that’s a natural marine ecosystem and fertile breeding ground for marine life.

The proposed reclamation has been raised several times during this sitting with backbenchers and Barisan Nasional (BN) assemblymen objecting it.

Lim said the proposed reclamation was stated in the Penang Structure Plan approved by the previous BN state government and the current administration had to comply with the structure plan.

Lim reminded the backbenchers and the opposition that the state government will not rush into such massive projects.

"We do things properly so we will not undertake projects without proper evaluation," he said.

The proposed reclamation project is marked as part of the state's proposed RM27 billion Penang Transport Master Plan.