PSR: Penang government wants more feedback from fishermen

Published by Bername• 24/02/2021• 07:06pm

GEORGE TOWN, Feb 24 — Fishermen who will be involved with the Penang South Reclamation (PSR) project in Permatang Damar Laut and Gertak Sanggul here are urged to register with the Fisherman’s Local Service Centre (PPSN) to facilitate the feedback gathering process.

Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Ahmad Zakiyuddin Abdul Rahman said the feedback was required for the state government to complete the Social Impact Management Plan (SIMP).

“Our wish is to listen directly to the fishermen’s feedback on the proposed offers before the SIMP can be finalised.

“Therefore, if the fishermen failed to visit the PPSN to fill in the forms and meet the officers on duty, the state government will not be able to find out their opinions and views on the SIMP offers,” he told a news conference here, today.

He said there have been attempts to hamper the efforts to obtain the fishermen’s feedback by urging them not to provide any information to the state government.

On the statement that the PSR project should not start work pending the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) appeal, Ahmad Zakiyuddin the state government wished to emphasise that the appeal would not affect the works that would be carried out.

“So far, the state government did not receive any injunction or stop-work order which prohibits the fishermen’s feedback gathering process,” he said.

Ahmad Zakiyuddin said since the PPSN was opened on Feb 8 until yesterday, some 423 fishermen have come forward to register and provide their feedback, and the process would run until March 8.

Among the feedback received was that the fishermen wanted a higher compassionate aid besides suggesting that they be provided with free 115 horsepower engines if their boats were still in a good condition, he said.

The implementation of the PSR project, covering an area of almost 17 sq km, involves the development of three man-made islands at the Permatang Damar Laut waters near Bayan Lepas, to create a land bank to fund the Penang Transport Master Plan worth RM46 billion.

— BERNAMA