GEORGE TOWN, Dec 17 — The restoration project of a 138-year-old landmark in Balik Pulau was conducted through open tender, Penang Island City Council (MBPP) Mayor Datuk Yew Tung Seang said.

He said the landmark is a category I heritage structure and the MBPP had called for an open tender to implement the RM500,000 project.

"Five companies submitted their tender and we chose the cheapest tender which was RM470,000,” he said.

Yew said the Ministry of Tourism and Culture allocated RM500,000 to Penang for the restoration of the monument so the project will be funded entirely from that allocation.

The monument is a central structure for a small roundabout that faces three main roads leading to the small Balik Pulau township.

It was built by a Hakka tycoon, Koh Seang Fatt, in 1882 in conjunction with a visit by the then Governor of Malacca Sir Frederick Weld to Balik Pulau.

At the time, water flowed from lion head-shaped spouts from the monument into water troughs for horses and cows as carriages and bullock carts were the main mode of transportation at the time.

Over the years, a portion of the monument and the entire water troughs were buried under the road surface as the roads surrounding it were higher.

The whole restoration project will unearth the buried water troughs, repair the monument, build proper pedestrian walkways around it and introduce landscaping and trees in the area.

Yew said the total cost of RM470,000 will include upgrading the pedestrian walkways, landscaping and planting of trees around the monument.

He added that the project is monitored by a team of engineers and a conservator to ensure that the monument is restored in accordance with heritage requirements.

The monument restoration project will take about five months to complete and works have already started on December 1 with an expected completion date on April 30 next year.