GEORGE TOWN, April 30 — A proposed high rise project in Tanjung Bungah that raised the ire of residents there was not on hill land 76m above sea level, caretaker state executive councillor Jagdeep Singh Deo said.

He said the project, located behind the Miami Green condominiums, have passed strict technical guidelines before it was approved.

The incumbent Datuk Keramat assemblyman warned Penang Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Teng Chang Yeow to get his facts right before making any accusations.

“For the record, as the caretaker Exco for Town and Country Planning and Housing, this particular project was approved by the Penang State goverment after all technical requirements were met, in particular, the guidelines of the Penang State Government that state that no high-rise development will be allowed in areas exceeding 76 meters from sea level,” he said today.

Advertisement

He was responding to Teng’s criticisms that the state for approving the project that he claimed was on Class IV land with a slope gradient of 35 degrees.

He added that the project will also include affordable housing units.

As for Teng’s accusations that the state had violated the Penang Structural Plan 2020 which allowed for only 15 units per acre in the area as the project contains 101 units per acre, Jagdeep said he will need to check details of the project first.

Advertisement

He said sometimes the state government make allowances for affordable housing projects.

However, he pointed out that the Miami Green project has more than 15 units per acre and it was approved by the previous BN administration.

“Maybe Teng can explain why the BN administration had approved the Miami Green project if the structural plan only allows for 15 units per acre before he points fingers,” he said.

He also challenged Teng to demand the caretaker Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to review the federal guidelines on development which allows development of high-rises in areas up to 300 meters above sea level.

Jagdeep said this was in contrast with the state’s guidelines which only allows development of high-rises in areas below 76m above sea level.

He told Teng to demand for 1Malaysia Peoples’ Home project (PR1MA) to be built in Penang instead of criticising affordable housing projects that are being built in Penang.

“BN must answer also for their failure to build affordable housing under PR1MA in Penang whereby to-date not even one has been physically built,” he said.