Penang CM Chow says developer and landowner must answer for fatal Paya Terubong landslide

GEORGE TOWN, Oct 27 — The landowner and developer of a condominium and road construction project on a hillside near the landslide site in Taman Seri Rambai, Paya Terubong, must take responsibility and ensure the safety of the affected area, Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said.

He said the parties involved must be held accountable, particularly as the landslide, which claimed the life of a doctor, occurred on land owned by the developer.

“They must take responsibility for the impact of the landslide, including addressing the legal implications, matters related to the approval of the plans and carrying out mitigation works to restore the safety of the site,” he told reporters after visiting the scene today.

Chow said the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) had issued an immediate stop-work order and given the developer seven days to submit a mitigation plan to address safety risks at the site.

The landslide, which occurred at 8.36am yesterday, claimed the life of Dr Wong Kar Lin, 73, who was buried under debris after the slope behind his house collapsed. His wife, Chang Mei Nuo, 68, and mother-in-law, Wong Poh Lim, who is in her 80s, managed to escape.

Chow said he had received reports from MBPP and the Penang Town and Country Planning Department, as well as a draft incident report from the MBPP Engineering Department, with a full report expected within one or two days.

He said that preliminary findings showed the incident occurred at a section that had yet to undergo slope stabilisation works, with prolonged rainfall believed to have caused water to seep into the soil, adding to the load on the unstabilised slope.

However, Chow said the exact cause of the incident could only be determined after the relevant authorities submitted their full reports.

He said the condominium development project was first approved in 1996 but subsequently faced several setbacks, including changes in land ownership, developers and development guidelines, before the latest approval was granted in 2023.

“This shows that MBPP does not grant approvals arbitrarily, as the process is subject to the Town and Country Planning Act, technical requirements, environmental impact assessments, traffic studies, social impact assessments and other criteria, all of which have been complied with,” he said.

Meanwhile, Chow said the state government had instructed MBPP and the Seberang Perai City Council (MBSP) to ensure that all ongoing development projects, particularly those in hillside areas, step up site monitoring during the rainy season.

He said some construction activities could be temporarily suspended, if necessary, to allow greater focus on safety monitoring and the immediate implementation of mitigation measures.

Chow also expressed his condolences to Dr Wong’s family and said the state government and MBPP were ready to provide the necessary assistance.

He said the decision on whether residents of nearby homes could return would depend on assessments by the relevant authorities of site conditions and slope stability. — Bernama

Saifuddin Nasution: RM14.3m returned to online scam victims, RM100.9m losses prevented

Wee Ka Siong says too early to call MCA-Barisan talks on Melaka seats ‘positive’

Fix your water supply before chasing RM720b GDP dream, Akmal tells SG4 states

乔治市，10月27日讯——槟城首席部长曹观友表示，在槟城巴耶特鲁邦斯里兰拜花园山体滑坡地点附近的山坡上建造公寓和道路的土地所有者和开发商必须承担责任，并确保受影响地区的安全。

他表示，必须追究相关各方的责任，尤其是造成一名医生丧生的山体滑坡发生在开发商拥有的土地上。

“他们必须对山体滑坡的影响承担责任，包括处理法律问题、与计划审批相关的事宜以及开展缓解工作以恢复现场安全，”他今天视察现场后告诉记者。

周先生表示，槟岛市政局（MBPP）已发出立即停工令，并要求开发商在七天内提交一份缓解计划，以解决该工地的安全风险。

昨天上午8点36分发生的山体滑坡导致73岁的黄嘉林医生不幸身亡，他被房屋后方山坡坍塌后的瓦砾掩埋。他的妻子，68岁的张美诺，以及80多岁的岳母黄宝琳则成功逃生。

周先生表示，他已收到槟城市政局和槟城城乡规划局的报告，以及槟城市政局工程部门的事故报告草稿，预计一两天内将收到完整报告。

他说，初步调查结果显示，事故发生在尚未进行边坡稳定工程的路段，持续降雨被认为是导致水渗入土壤，增加了未稳定边坡的负荷。

不过，周先生表示，只有在有关部门提交完整报告后，才能确定事件的确切原因。

他表示，该公寓开发项目最初于 1996 年获得批准，但随后遭遇了多次挫折，包括土地所有权、开发商和开发准则的变更，直到 2023 年才获得最新批准。

他说：“这表明MBPP不会随意批准项目，因为审批过程受到《城乡规划法》、技术要求、环境影响评估、交通研究、社会影响评估和其他标准的约束，所有这些都已得到遵守。”

与此同时，周先生表示，州政府已指示槟城市政局和威省市政局确保所有正在进行的开发项目，特别是山坡地区的开发项目，在雨季加强现场监测。

他表示，如有必要，可以暂时中止一些建筑活动，以便更加注重安全监测和立即实施缓解措施。

周先生也向黄医生的家人表示慰问，并表示州政府和槟城市政厅已准备好提供必要的援助。

他表示，附近居民能否返回家园，将取决于相关部门对场地条件和边坡稳定性的评估。——马新社

赛夫丁·纳苏蒂安：已向网络诈骗受害者追回1430万令吉，并阻止了1.009亿令吉的损失。

魏家祥表示，现在就断言马华公会与国阵就马六甲议席的谈判取得“积极进展”还为时过早。

阿克马尔告诉新加坡第四大州，在追求7200亿令吉GDP梦想之前，先解决供水问题。