CHIEF MINISTER Lim Guan Eng has called for a full assessment on how to avert massive traffic jams in the event of an incident like the fire on the Penang Bridge last Saturday (11.09.2010). He said there is a need for a contingency plan for traffic dispersal in case of such emergencies. He also commended Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) for switching to alternative power sources to restore electricity supply within five minutes. Read here

In the Saturday incident, three TNB power cables caught fire causing a massive seven-hour traffic jam on both sides of the structure. The 10am fire occurred some 2km away from the Prai toll plaza. It also caused power disruptions in parts of Bayan Baru, Gelugor and the city. Read here

Penang Public Works, Utilities and Transportation Committee chairman Lim Hock Seng said Penang Bridge Sdn Bhd (PBSB) was taking precautionary measures to check if there was any structural damage to the 13.5km bridge (read here) and the PBSB has declared the bridge safe to use. Read here

Chief executive officer Datuk Seri Che Khalid Mohamad Noh of TNB said that work to replace the burnt high-voltage circuit cables under the bridge is to start in two or three weeks, after TNB has appointed suitable contractors for the job. He also guaranteed that there would not be power disruptions during the repair works, which could take more than two months. Read here. He also assured that it was not human error.  “If it’s human error, the joints would have caught fire, not the cables...The cables have been in use way before the bridge was completed.” Read here

Swiftlet farms disallowed in World Heritage Sites

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has announced that swiftlet farming would be prohibited in the George Town and Malacca heritage enclaves. He also said that the National Council for Local Government has agreed that guidelines for the development of the swiftlet industry -- known as 1GP -- would be adopted by all local authorities to help boost the industry. Swiftlet farming has been identified as one of the National Key Economic Areas (NKEA) for agriculture. Read here

Operators of swiftlet farms in the George Town WHS are willing to relocate if the authorities can identify a new location for them. Association for Swiftlet Nest Industries (ASNI) president Carole Loh said there should be proper planning, just like the relocation of hawkers and squatters. Read here

State executive councillor Chow Kon Yeow that the state government would hold a meeting to work out a mechanism to implement the three-year grace period for swiftlet farms to move out. The meeting would involve ASNI, Penang Heritage Trust and other related organisations. Read here

Other news

• Only 5,000 clansmen left in Penang: They came in droves from China’s southern coastal province of Guangdong. While the Hainanese dabbled in the coffeeshop business, the Hakka in medical halls and the Hokkien in small industries, the Toi Shan people stuck to what they knew best — carpentry. Read here
• A use for old rail tracks: The old railway tracks of the Penang Hill funicular railway may be used as pillars for the proposed new hawker centre and visitor centre or as lamp posts on the hill. Read here
• World's largest water lily in Penang soon: The Botanic Gardens here will soon house the world's largest water lily (Victoria Amazonica) under the Tourism Ministry's RM7mil (S$3.02mil) beautification and expansion project. Read here
• Clerics must obtain MAIPP’s permission: Mosque officials intending to invite guest sermon readers (khatib) must seek permission from the Penang Islamic Religious Department (MAIPP), said state Religious Committee chairman Abdul Malik Abul Kassim. Read here
• CM calls for abolition of Penang Bridge toll: Penang commemorated the 25th anniversary of the opening of the Penang Bridge today with the state government calling for the abolition of toll for its use. Read here
  

For more news on Penang from September 6 to 12, 2010, please click here  

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