GEORGE TOWN: The announcement on the Penang Light Rail Transit (LRT) project has been received with both positive and negative reactions by non-governmental organisations in the state.
Civil society groups in Penang, which have been critical of the project, have expressed disappointment that the cabinet had not heeded their calls to review the need for the LRT.
Sahabat Alam Malaysia president Meenakshi Raman said the government should have reviewed the LRT project given its huge cost and inflated projection of usage.
"We have always maintained that there is an alternative solution to tackle traffic congestion in the state, which is far cheaper and more effective such as improving the public bus transport system.
"The fund allocated to finance the LRT project is far too high and not cost-effective," she told the New Straits Times.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke, in a press conference this afternoon said the cabinet had given its nod for the LRT project in Penang.
He said the government has decided to appoint Mass Rapid Transit Corporation Sdn Bhd (MRT Corp), a company wholly-owned by the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOF Inc), as project developer and asset owner.
The Penang LRT is slated for completion in 2030.
Meenakshi pointed out that the LRT depot at the Penang Silicon Island (PSI) reclamation site is controversial and being legally challenged for destruction of environmentally sensitive areas.
"Instead of considering these issues and awaiting the outcome of the legal challenge, the cabinet's decision is not consistent with good governance," she added.
On the other hand, AnakPinang fully welcomed Loke'a announcement on the LRT project.
Its co-founder Timothy Tye said it is something that AnakPinang had been championing since its founding.
"We are delighted to learn that it is gradually coming to fruition.
"We hope there will be no more hitches that will delay the implementation of the LRT, which we believe will ease the plight of Penangites on both sides of the channel.
"To the detractors of the project, AnakPinang hopes that we can close ranks and work towards a better Penang for all," he said.
AnakPinang described itself as "a community of like-minded Penangites who yearn to create a better Penang, one that is vibrant and modern, yet preserving and continuing to enhance its core strengths and values."
During a visit to Penang last May, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had announced that the federal government would fund the much-awaited project.
Following that, it was decided that the LRT alignment would now be from Bayan Lepas to Komtar to Tanjung Bungah, Air Itam to Butterworth to Kepala Batas and to Simpang Ampat.
During a visit to the state in January this year, Loke had said the prime minister had instructed his ministry to prepare the 'Cabinet Ministers' memorandum to bring the LRT project to cabinet for approval on its implementation.