Friday, July 25, 2008

Big projects on hold in Perak due to lack of proper EIAs - The Star

LUMUT: Jul 2, 2008

Several ambitious projects in Perak have been put on hold because their developers or consultants have failed to submit the environmental impact assessment (EIA) reports years after their announcement.

Perak Department of Environment (DOE) director Abu Hasan Mohd Isa said that among such mega-projects were the multibillion-ringgit oil refineries to be sited in Tanjung Piandang and Teluk Rubiah near here.

He said another project was the proposed RM24.5bil Trans-Peninsula Petroleum pipeline to run from Yan in Kedah, through northern Perak and end in Kelantan.

“There was also the previously announced Blair University (at Gua Tempurung near Ipoh) and three hotel projects on Banding Island, Grik.

“None of them have submitted to us their EIAs,” he told reporters here yesterday after a department seminar on the guidelines for the approval of development projects.

Abu Hasan said he had to clarify because certain quarters were unfairly blaming the department for holding up these projects, adding that some project consultants had sent late or “poor quality” reports.

“When the EIA reports are sent, 90% of them are rejected because they are incomplete,” he said.

He said it only took five weeks at the most for the DOE to process reports, or two weeks if the project needed to be expedited.

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