Day: June 24, 2024

GEORGE TOWN, The Penang government has chosen to best alignment for the Penang Mutiara Line Light Rail Transit (LRT) project, as proposed by Mass Rapid Transit Corp Sdn Bhd (MRT Corp).

Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the state government had written to the Transport Ministry two weeks ago to confirm its agreement with the proposed alignment.

‘We have chosen an alignment very similar to the original, with only slight differences. The alignment proposed by MRT Corp is the best for future connectivity with other routes.

‘The alignment chosen by the state government starts from Silicon Island and connects Penang Sentral (mainland) to the Macallum area in George Town,’ he told a press conference regarding the Penang Green International Conference and Expo 2024 (PGIGCE 2024) at his office in Komtar here today.

On the progress of the project, Chow said all major decisions have been made, and it is now at the open tender stage.

On March 29, Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook announced that the Federal
Government had officially taken over the Penang LRT Route Mutiara project from the state government, with MRT Corporation appointed as the developer and asset owner.

The project procurement is divided into three main components: Civil construction for Silicon Island to Komtar alignment (Segment 1), Civil construction for Komtar to Penang Sentral alignment (Segment 2) and Turnkey systems and rolling stocks on a Build-Maintain-Transfer (BMT) basis.

In other developments, Chow said the proposal to review the tax distribution system to return at least 20 per cent of the tax revenue collected from Penang to the state could not be implemented at this time.

He said the feedback on the proposal was obtained through his recent meeting with Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan.

‘The Finance Minister was frank and said that there are currently fiscal constraints at the national level. He mentioned alternative mechanisms besides tax revenue redistribution, such as granting specific grants to the state,’
he said.

Chow also said that during the meeting, Amir Hamzah informed him that the RM1.8 billion Juru-Sungai Dua Elevated Highway project is now on the Federal Government’s main discussion list, and it is still unknown whether it will be carried out by the state or federal government.

PGIGCE 2024, organised by the Penang Green Agency, will be held from Nov 16-17 at the Setia SPICE Convention Centre near here.

It is a platform aimed at gathering key stakeholders, leaders and experts from around the world in four main areas: green technology, green finance, capacity building and net-zero initiatives.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

KANGAR, Most roadside trees that were found to be structurally weak and deemed a risk to public safety in Perlis have been removed.

Perlis Menteri Besar Mohd Shukri Ramli said his team had asked the state Forestry Department to conduct a study on these trees before action to remove them was carried out.

“I feel many trees were structurally weak and their removal could not be avoided as we are unable to anticipate when storms will occur. At the same time, we cannot remove all the trees as there will be a decrease in the oxygen level present (in the environment),’ he told reporters here today.

Earlier, Mohd Shukri spent time visiting the Perlis Journalists Association (PWP) office here.

Elaborating further, he said that maintenance work will be carried out from time to time to ensure roadside trees in the state will not endanger the safety of the public.

Yesterday, Bernama reported that a husband and wife were seriously injured after the motorcycle they were riding was hit by an uprooted tree on Jalan Kam
pung Padang Benta, Simpang Empat near here early yesterday morning. The five-month pregnant wife also miscarried her baby.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

IPOH, The Perak State Park Corporation (PSPC) together with several environmental non-governmental organisations (NGO) are working on restoring the ecosystem in Pulau Sembilan, Bagan Datuk, especially its coral reefs.

Perak Tourism, Industry, Investment and Corridor Development Committee chairman Loh Sze Yee said the conservation process required time as there were hundreds of trawling nets on the seabed around the island due to illegal fishing activities.

‘Pulau Sembilan is still closed to the public as restoration efforts are still being done by experts under the NGOs. They have the responsibility to raise the trawling nets to the surface. It’s not an easy task and there are risks as the entire process is under water.

‘We have also been informed that the nets stuck at the seabed are caused by illegal fishermen who cut their nets when they are alerted to the presence of the authorities,’ he said when met by Bernama here today, adding that enforcement has been tightened to minimise illegal fishing in the
area.

‘If every fisherman has ethics, they will fish in permitted areas only. We have a special perimeter that needs to be complied with but there are some who are stubborn and fish in restricted waters,’ he said, admitting that the absence of the island from the Visit Perak Year 2024 has more or less impacted the tourist arrivals in the state.

‘Pulau Sembilan actually is among the major products we have, but for me, what we do (the closure) is more important to ensure that the island’s ecosystem returns to normal and can be enjoyed by future generations,’ he said.

Pulau Sembilan is managed completely by PSPC and has been closed to all tourism activities since April 1, 2017 to curb incursions by irresponsible parties who destroy the island’s ecosystem.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

MELAKA, The Hang Tuah Exhibition which is currently taking place at the Melaka International Trade Centre (MITC), Ayer Keroh here, has attracted more than 10,000 visitors since it opened on June 10.

The Melaka Chief Minister’s Office said of that total, 1,200 students and 75 teachers from 23 schools around Melaka Tengah and Jasin also visited the exhibition which will last until July 10.

“The ticket price for the participation of school students in groups is only RM100 for 40 visitors,” according to the statement.

The statement mentioned that the Hang Tuah Exhibition is divided into several galleries on his life stories, personalities, manuscript collections, and shared artifacts from Bentan Islands, Singapore and Pattani, including nine-luk keris from Okinawa Museum, Japan, and Rekidai Hoan documents from the government Ryukyu.

He also said that the exhibition also brought visitors to see the replica of the largest cannon from the the Malacca Malay Sultanate, the ‘Peca de Malacca’ found in the Military
Museum of Lisbon, Portugal, as well as an interactive zone display featuring Silat Hang Tuah, artifacts, manuscripts and a film about the greatness of Hang Tuah staged in India.

“It also explores the history of Admiral Hang Tuah and the latest research findings that confirm his existence through new sources found from around the world such as Holland, Japan, India, Portugal, China, Indonesia, and Thailand.

“This exhibition not only presents history, but also aims to nurture the identity of the younger generation with the spirit of Hang Tuah that never fades,” according to the statement.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

TANAH MERAH, The Kelantan Wildlife Department has installed surveillance cameras at Bukit Layang-layang, Kelewek, here, following claims by villagers that they found footprints and heard the roars of a tiger in the area.

Its director Mohamad Hafid Rohani said the cameras were installed around the footprints of the wild animal found today.

He said it was most likely that the animal passed through the area but could not be sure whether it was a tiger or a panther.

“We install cameras to confirm the animal species whether it is real or not before installing any wild animal traps.

“The process of installing animal traps takes a long time because of the large size of the cages, in addition to requiring an investigation by Perhilitan staff first,” he told Bernama today.

Meanwhile, rubber tapper Rashid Junoh, 64, said he heard the roar while repairing his house at 9 am yesterday.

“My wife and I heard two loud roars of the animal and then I rushed behind the house and there were footprints of the animal on the
sand just two metres from my house,” he said when met by Bernama today.

Rashid said this was the first time he had heard the roar of the animal after living in the area for more than 20 years.

According to him, he and his wife now do not dare to go out to tap rubber for fear of being attacked by wild animals.

Mukim Bechah Laut viilage headman Rohana Samat, 50, said he expected the relevant parties to take immediate action because wild animals are life-threatening, especially to farmers.

“For the time being, I ask the villagers to take precautions when in the farm or hunting for birds and jungle fowl and they are also advised not to enter the forest during this period,” he said.

Recently, a recording of a Kampung Kelewek resident who repeatedly claimed to have found footprints and heard the roar of a tiger near his house went viral on WhatApps.

The voice recording also asked the residents of the surrounding villages not to go out to tap rubber and not to leave the house at night.

Source: BERNAMA News A
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