Land in Sungai Pinang for LRT station never intended for housing development, says Chow

• “Once the LRT station is built, the remaining land would not be large enough to accommodate a school, and this has been discussed.”

GEORGE TOWN (Jan 7): The Penang government has dismissed claims that the land in Sungai Pinang, which is being developed for the Penang Light Rail Transit (LRT) Mutiara Line station, was previously intended for low- and medium-cost housing.

Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow clarified that the land in question was initially designated for a school, not for housing development, and that discussions had already taken place with the state Education Department (JPN) regarding this matter.

“Once the LRT station is built, the remaining land would not be large enough to accommodate a school, and this has been discussed,” he told reporters after the Civil Service Assembly at Dewan Seri Pinang here on Tuesday.

Chow's remarks followed a query from the Penang Gerakan party, which had requested clarification on whether the land was originally planned for housing or other purposes.

He also confirmed that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is scheduled to launch the Penang LRT Mutiara Line project in Sungai Pinang on Jan 11, with the site chosen for its spacious area and consideration for an orderly traffic flow.

Chow provided an update on the LRT project after attending a meeting chaired by Minister of Finance II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan in Putrajaya.

The meeting had reviewed the latest developments of the Penang LRT Mutiara Line project and contract negotiations with MRT Corp.

“As it is a federal project, the meeting received a briefing from MRT Corp regarding the contract negotiations. The announcement of the accepted contracts will be made by the minister [of finance II],” he added.

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