State Gerakan Acting Youth Chief Jason Loo said according to an article on the China Railway Construction Corp (CRCC) website, the “feasibility and design” cost was only pegged at USD22 million (RM87.8 million), compared with the RM305 million figure revealed by the Penang Government.

“Those who read CRCC’s website might be confused as the RM305 million figure announced by the state government and the RM90 million announced by CRCC are vastly different.

“The news is reported on the official website of CRCC, just like how the state government publishes its news/information via the state official media platform — the Buletin Mutiara,” he said at a press conference today.

The Penang Government had previously announced the feasibility cost for the George Town-Butterworth Undersea Tunnel and the three paired roads was RM305 million.

The feasibility study for the tunnel alone is RM20 million.

The tunnel will be built by Consortium Zenith-BUCG Sdn Bhd. The consortium’s partner to build the tunnel is CRCC, owing to its vast experience in building tunnels.

“If the feasibility cost reported on CRCC’s website is about RM90 million, where is the remaining RM215 million?

“If the state government questions the contents reported by its partner CRCC in its official website, then Penangites should also consider the truth of all the news reported in Buletin Mutiara,” Loo said, referring to the Penang Government’s fortnightly newsletter.

Meanwhile, CZBUCG chairman Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli said Loo’s statement was incorrect.

“They are basing it on a 2013 report by the chairman of CRCC.

“He spoke in Mandarin and certainly was misquoted. That is their only source.

“I have contacted CRCC and they were never approached for clarification.

“In fact the CRCC contract for the feasibility studies and design is only limited to the detailed design.

“We are going to take legal action as this is malicious intent,” he told FMT when contacted.

CRCC website link, in Chinese: www.crcc.cn