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New EIA for Penang Outer Ring Road must seek public feedback 8 April 2002 The Consumers' Association of Penang welcomes the announcement by Penang Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Dr. Hilmi Yahaya that a new Environmental Impact Assessment report for the Penang Outer Ring Road must be prepared. This is because the existing one, which was submitted in September 1996, needs to be updated. In the past 6 years, many other developments have taken place on the island which have to be taken into account in the construction of the PORR. In commissioning a new EIA, CAP urges the Department of Environment to ensure that a detailed report be requested and not a preliminary one. A detailed EIA requires public viewing and feedback, unlike the preliminary one submitted in 1996. Given the scale and magnitude of the project and the consequent environmental and social impacts, it is imperative that a detailed EIA is done. This must also include proposals for the Gurney Drive reclamation works, as it is also part of the PORR package. It is also critical that the new EIA report considers all other public transport options and their viability. This is a key requirement as set out in the Guidelines for the preparation of EIAs. Apart from a detailed EIA for the project, we also call upon the State Government to make public the details of the actual alignment of the PORR. As acknowledged by Dr. Hilmy, the public are still in the dark about how the alignment will affect them.
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