Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) and the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) says the cable car project is not environmentally sustainable. - NSTP/File pic
GEORGE TOWN: The recent breakdown of the Penang Hill funicular railway should not be used as an excuse by the state government to push for a cable car project for the iconic hill, two leading non-governmental organisations (NGOs) said today.
Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) and the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP), which are against the project, said, in a statement, that it would have a negative impact on the sensitive and fragile ecosystems of both the hill and the Penang Botanic Gardens.
SAM president Meenakshi Raman and CAP president Mohideen Abdul Kader said the cable car project was not environmentally sustainable.
“The cable car project, if implemented, will cause irreparable damage to the hills and the gardens through the building of more hotels, bungalows for the rich elites, cafes, amusement joints and roads.
“Hence, the breakdown of the existing funicular railway cannot be used as an excuse to push for the cable car project, without investigating the causes for the breakdown and how to prevent them in the future.
“We understand that the maintenance works for the funicular railway are carried out only once in 12 months.
“With the overuse of the railway and infrequent maintenance, there is bound to be a breakdown.
“What must now happen is more frequent maintenance works which could be once in nine months instead, which can prevent the railway from breaking down.
“As such, improving the frequency of the maintenance of the railway must be the most immediate step, that will avert the need for the cable car,” they said today.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, had in a recent interview, said that the cable car project was expected to begin year-end and that pre-feasibility studies of the project were ongoing while a full technical study would be carried out as the next step.
He had said that the need for an alternative to the funicular railway became obvious following a breakdown on Dec 21 which left nearly 1,000 visitors stranded for up to four hours on the hill.
In the recent 2020 Budget, the Federal Government had announced a RM100 million allocation for the development of the cable car project.
And in a recent dialogue session with stakeholders, Chow had said that he expected eight to 10 pylons would be needed to support the network, linking the summit to a station outside the gates of the gardens, near the Penang Rifle Club to the hilltop at the entrance of the Habitat.
“Firstly, the Penang Rifle Club is not outside the gardens as claimed by the chief minister as it is within the Special Area Plan of the gardens,” said SAM and CAP.
“Already, on a daily basis in the mornings and on public holidays, the gardens is very crowded with large numbers of people and massive jams.
“With a cable car station near the Penang Rifle Club, the traffic situation will be even more aggravated, changing the nature of the gardens to one that is noisy and even more unbearable.
“Secondly, in order to carry out the cable car project, a major issue will be on how the heavy pylons are going to be brought in and installed, which will require road-building, excavation and construction work.
“In addition, once the construction works are over, maintenance tracks below the cable car line will be needed and all this will cause much disruption to the very fragile and environmentally sensitive areas which the hill and the gardens are.
“For these reasons, SAM and CAP appealed and urged the Penang government not to proceed with the cable car proposal.”
SAM and CAP said comprehensive and thorough studies had to be carried out on the environmental and social impacts of the cable car project on both the hill and the gardens before any decision was made on the project.
“The chief minister had said that pre-feasibility studies of the project were ongoing, while a full technical study would be carried out as the next step,” they said.
“Such studies must ensure that the environmental and social impacts both to the hill and the gardens are not viewed lightly, given the special characteristics and nature of both of these special ecosystems.
As such, we urge the Penang government to make transparent and public the terms of reference of the studies, and clarify if they include comprehensive environmental and social impacts on the hill and the gardens, who is conducting the studies, make public these studies and clarify which are the companies vying for the cable-car project,” they stressed.
Commenting on the statement from SAM and CAP, Chow said the state would only have a better idea of the cable car project upon the completion of the feasibility studies.
“Also, I am sure the NGOs can consult Penang Hill Corporation (PHC) general manager Datuk Cheok Lay Leng on the terms of reference of the studies as he has all the information,” he said at his office here today.
~New Straits Times~
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