Life had been pleasant for the retired maintenance worker, who had brought up his two children while living at the 29-storey Kingfisher apartment complex.
But for the past few months, the 67-year-old and his wife have watched helplessly as the lush greenery of the hill has been stripped bare to the rumbling of heavy machinery rather than the symphony of chirping birds the couple had grown accustomed to.
The hills are being cleared as part of a 5km bypass road project between Air Itam and the Penang Bridge. The development is part of the proposed RM6.3 billion Penang undersea tunnel and roads project.
Lim and residents of the other 406 units in the building now live under the near-daily torment of heavy machinery chiselling away large granite boulders and levelling soil less than 100m from their homes.
“I am not against road projects, but this road is so close to our homes. We are worried. And we’ve heard there are soon going to be tunnels, drilled and blasted using explosives,” he said.
Initially, there had been plans for elevated and embanked roads as part of the project, but the Penang government in 2021 changed tack and said tunnels would minimise damage to the hills.
However, Lim, who is with the apartment’s management, said they were never told about these tunnelling plans, not even during a briefing by the state government and contractors in February.
“We told the contractors to stop work at that briefing. We didn’t even know there would be tunnels at that time. They kept quiet, and the next thing we know they are clearing land,” he said.
Lim said immediate safety measures must be taken to ensure no boulders fell into the apartment’s compound and all cleared land is covered with proper geotextile sheets to prevent a potential landslide.
“We are honestly worried that it is going to be another Highland Towers or Father’s Organic Farm (Batang Kali landslide). We are not sleeping peacefully.”
In response, state executive councillor Zairil Khir Johari said the project adhered to strict guidelines on environmental protection. He assured residents on their safety, insisting that residents had been receiving details of the project since 2018, with 16 roadshows held to date.
Zairil said tunnelling work can only begin once a supplementary environmental impact assessment had been sent to regulators for approval.
“Precautionary measures at the construction site include covering slopes, breaking down boulders, creating a buffer zone, and having temporary drainage and retention ponds in place. The public can contact the contractor during office hours with any questions regarding the project,” he said.
Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd (CZCSB), which is undertaking the project, had earlier said that three twin tunnels would be bored using the drill-and-blast method, moving 3m per blast. CZCSB has been contacted for comment.
The RM851 million project started in late 2021 and is expected to be completed by January 2025.