The Bolton Surin project in Penang – Photos by a Tanjung Bunga resident
This project again. The photos raise all kinds of questions. Clearly, these are steep slopes we are talking about:
How was this project approved in the first place?
Why is hill-cutting being carried out so close to neighbouring lots?
What kind of slope management is being carried out?
Has the developer complied with all requirements?
Has the developer complied with all conditions relating to rock blasting? Has the rock blasting been carried out under the observation/supervision of the relevant external officials?
Has there been a stop work order? If so, who issued it – and who is enforcing it?
Why can’t the state government stop this project completely? Does it want to? Are residents’ lives not important enough to be put ahead of developers’ profits?
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So much of complains and bashing from both sides of the divide but ” NO SOLUTION ” Hello people, put on your thinking caps and figure out how to go around it. Can the state government intervene and ensure safety measures, precautions are taken oversee the work done with utmost care and ACCURACY ? Can the state government hire an engineer with the expertise to advise if the site was safe and the work is done with great care ? Check the plans/designs in areas that could pose danger due to cutting corners or shoddy workmanship . Can the state… Read more »
***The state government can invoke, make or amend laws calling for the safety of the site under professional supervision before allowing the construction to continue.*** Oh goodie, but will such new laws be enforceable in retrospect? The plans and approval were made under existing laws and regulations (I believe they have complied – else it would have been a straightforward revocation). No one has come up with a scenario post-revocation of such approvals. Smart ! “We’ll vote in PR to a bankrupt state government.” And when a whole host of other problems come up as a result of that, someone… Read more »
Dear Anil, Came across some more TBRA-bashing in http://margeemar.blogspot.com/, and some kind but deluded soul was saying poor Anil has been taken in, has had the wool pulled over his eyes by this BN-loving, LGE-hating, self-serving ogre called TBRA. If the misguided idiots will only do their homework… TBRA has on record taken the previous CM, fellow-Tanjong Bungarian, to task, indeed accusing him of the “sell-out of Penang”! Go to their website and see the number of times they had grumbled about BN and MPPP, and the issues that rankled them. I append something I left on the margeemar website… Read more »
We have plenty of disasters waiting to happen! Why bother about this one, anyhow no disaster happen yet. LGE can sleep very well just blame the previous state government, this state government has no duty to make sure you are safe. All the stupid hard core and die-hard partisan supporters, you guy need a CT scan on your brain. If this state government is as evil or lesser evil than the previous state government is not an issue to you, please vote for it, you deserve what you vote for. Stupid!!!!!!!
Jughead, You are right! I have mentioned where the hell are the civil servants who approve this. Yes, geotechnical engineer. It’s time LGE’s government would drag these people out & make them accountable to their actions. Yup, you might think it’s the state government’s job. But these civil servants made these decisions. Don’t just elected official accountable but these civil servants. Public Servants! People, Lets be rational. Stop the projects. Massive punitive penalties. The same as whole building collapses. I guarantee DAP would be voted if the state government went burst because of all these actitivites. DAP government should bring… Read more »
Anyway, we have to remember that the government today in Penang is the PR government. Even though the previous government had screwed up, the people who live in buildings near to or on top of that construction site have every right to be entitled to protection from the state authorities. The state government can invoke, make or amend laws calling for the safety of the site under professional supervision before allowing the construction to continue. LGE’s government even have a 2/3 majority to amend the state constitution. It has been raining quite a bit in Penang lately. We do not… Read more »
You guys commented like professional engineers but actually the slope can be steep because it is partly a granite hill. So what is wrong when the foundation is on rock and can be cut almost vertically. Why not ask the Geotechnical Engineer who certified they are safe? Mind you, the Geotechnical Engineer are ranked the same as Doctors as both of them have a licensing board put in by the Parliament. If they are guilt, they can be deregistered off from practice. As for the cavities, can you see the boulders which have yet to decomposed into soil? The big… Read more »
Penangites, Well, we already have the s… hole projects by the previous government. Now, we must think of a better plan how to rectify the problems. Anil, Simply shutting down the projects won’t help. It’s like nailing the leak. You create another one. I felt that close monitoring is the way to go. Make sure that the developer finish up the job chop2.Yup, in Singapore Hokkien, boh pian, LPPL Present state government should stop issue all new hillslope projects till it’s proven that it’s safe to develop. By the way, those cviil servants hiding behind the federal and even state… Read more »
Perhaps, you may not know that Anil is not paid by you nor me to povide us this platform.
I believe he has the penang people’s interest at heart. Penangite and Sam Yap, what about you?
Is the work being carried out complying with safety requirement?
How could workers allowed so near the slope without any proper protection to the almost vertical slope?
What if the slope fails or the trees on top topple?
I am getting utterly sick with you blind BN supporters and blind PKR supporters. You are the very people who cause the country to be corrupted as it is today! You loud mouth lop-sided supporters ..XXXX!!! Anil asks, “how was this approved?” Can someone in the know enlighten? I also would like to know what is the approval process like? Each step of the way — which authoritative professional is involved? Which engineer, geologists, MPPP, who???, who???, who??? Let’s have all the names who signed on the dotted lines! Surely they cannot be nameless people hiding under Koh Tsu Koon’s… Read more »
To all the unintelligent who have asked Anil to reveal the identity of those involved, pls try to use your brains. Obviously, for legal reasons he cannot.
And Anil, please don’t succumb to the unintelligent.
I totally agree with Sam Yap. The critical point here is accountability – on both the people who approved the projects and the residents who voted in the politicians who approved these projects in the first place. For the uninitiated, KTK was the assemblyman for Tanjung Bungah for umpteen years, voted in repeated by the very people who are now demanding that LGE put at risk state coffers when the developers sue and sue they most certainly will, should the state revoke these approvals. I for one, do not blame the developers. It is the people who gave them the… Read more »
Sam Yap….I agree with you. Anil should also post facts such as who approved the project and when given, are approvals properly obtained for project work to start, are safety of nearby residents studied before approval?, what are the legal implication of any actions, what are the penalties of such actions?
Anil should be more responsible than to post something so wide open just for the sake of getting response!!!!
Anil, I think accountability and responsibility is what concerns us all. Yet your report did not state who was responsible for the approval. Thats an important question to be answered. Its irresponsible to simply put up a report and ask the question. If its the current Penang government, then just say its them but if it was the previous BN government, tell it like it is.
Do you know what the 2 guys in the 1st picture above are doing….they are drilling holes to shove sticks of DYNAMITE in so BLASTING can be done at 3pm everyday, without fail. How far is the blasting from the nearby apartments? You judge.
Come round the project site at 3pm any day and do remember to bring your hard hat, just in case!!
easy job la guys, so easy on PR, anything bad, it is previous government deal. What about the RM10 billion FDI.. ooo that one this governement deal.. Why double standard.. I am PR supporter but I can’t close my eyes on this, if not PR will be no less than BN, if not worse.. because whatever s… they do, they know their supporters are all blind and couldn’t smell.. can’t see the s…, and can’t smell..
get your facts right those who criticize me.. don’t support blindly la..
Do you notice those two large gaping holes in the side of the wall in the first picture? Those are large underground cavities, aren’t they? So, do we continue with this madness or do we stop the project now? It is a lame excuse for Lim Guan Eng to say that he does not want the DAP/PR government to be sued. Do you notice that he has also consistently ignored the Tg Bunga Residents and their association? In case he does not know, all the electoral districts in the Tg Bunga constituency voted for the DAP in the last election… Read more »
I hope the state government will make a decision soon . Pakatan must do something if not who are the people going to turn to for a people government to throw bn out .
Hi Anil,
While you are at it, can you find out why there are now bald patches on Pulau Jerejak? Seems to be some development going on there.
Mamu …
Yeah, I noticed that ugly patch there. A PBA reservoir over there, apparently! Check this out:
http://www.penangwatch.net/node/3260
Cut the hills! Cut the hills!. (If) the buildings near the slope collapse… Then it become is an act of god.
What is wrong with the PR Govt or City Council or whatever. You are no different from BN.
@LGE,
who exactly signed the water agreement with steep tariff hike inside? Not PR, right? Just look at Selangor, the Feds siding the concessionaires against consumers and voters.
BN indeed deserves to become the Opposition.
This project had been approved by the previous BN state government and the money had been paid to them for the approval. LGE cannot do anything otherwise the rakyat will have to pay to compensate the developer if the construction of the project is stopped now. It’s too late to stop the project and the only thing the neighbouring residents can do is to make sure there is no buyers for the condo units so that project will die of natural death.
Politicians will be politicians. DAP same animal different color (red, white & blue), BN (white and blue).
Give PR another 5 years, you’ll see the excos upgrade to the mercs and the BMW.
(Their leader could) move into a swanky bungalow, that will be called bungalow rakyat, donated by a big developer.
I will not be surprised at all if all this happens.
I hope the CM will make a trip to the affected site and see what can be done about this even though the approval was given by the previous state government.
Should the apartment building above this fall, that could spell the end of his PR government too.