Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the “wrong impression” could have been inadvertently conveyed when the tunnel contractors held a media briefing in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
“I was asked about claims that the project was cancelled. I would like to clarify that there is no cancellation.
“What the contractor meant was that if the Detailed Environment Impact Assessment is not obtained, then it would be a no go,” he said in a press conference today.
Yesterday, CZBUCG, the Malaysia-China JV company awarded the RM6.3 billion undersea tunnel and three paired roads project in Penang, announced that the feasibility study for the project had been “halted indefinitely.”
CZBUCG chairman Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli was reported as saying the stop order had been issued by the state government last month.
Zarul also explained yesterday that no reason had been given for the order except a directive instructing the company to focus on another project they had with the Penang government.
Meanwhile, Zarul, who was also at the press conference with the CM today, said CZBUCG would focus on building the three paired roads first, and added, “Let me be clear, the feasibility of the undersea tunnel is definitely feasible.
“It would take another six months or so to complete the feasibility studies,” he said.
Zarul said yesterday’s media briefing in KL was to showcase their experts working on the project.
“It was to show our credibility that we have good consultants on board, they are not half-past-six consultants,” he said.
When asked why reports were published of the project’s feasibility studies being cancelled, Zarul said: “Please forgive me, it is the fasting month.”
“Look, if the project is cancelled, then why are we doing a roadshow in China? I am inviting reporters to China to see China Railways on how they build tunnels,” he said.
Lim interjected at this point, saying today’s press conference was to correct the wrong impression given at the media briefing in KL yesterday.
“We are correcting that impression. Zarul will still proceed as usual. There must be some miscommunication there.
“No letter (to stop the project) has been sent. He (Zarul) has corrected that. No letter has been sent. So it (undersea tunnel) still continues until 2027,” Lim added.
Related stories: Penang govt halts tunnel project feasibility study