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GEORGE TOWN: The Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) said today that local authorities could not invoke the excuse "act of God" to explain the landslide in Bukit Kukus, which killed four people, injured eight others yesterday.
The landslide occurred on the construction site of a 5 km elevated road on the hillside, undertaken by the city council and two private developers.
In a statement delivered today, PAC President Mohamed Idris said that the excuse "God's act" could not be invoked because the contractors involved apparently had not taken any action. measures to prevent a landslide.
According to an article in the press claiming that the contractors had not implemented a plan to reduce soil erosion, it was a case of well-defined negligence and not due to natural circumstances.
Idris said that after a CAP visit to the site, the clearing took place on a steep slope measuring almost 90 degrees.
"There was absolutely no slope protection or soil stabilization measures observed on the site, which is a clear invitation to the occurrence of disasters.
"The Penang government and the local authorities can not claim that it is an" act of God "because of the rains.
"It's not necessary to be an expert to know that if you leave steep, sterile slopes without protective or stabilizing measures, this will inevitably result in landslides," he said. .
Idris said that the Penang government and the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) must accept the blame and the responsibility of a lack of supervision, strict supervision or failure. strict application of the site.
He said that it was embarrassing that a special unit of the MBPP in charge of surveying the slopes of hills promised to carry out all the development projects of hills and ensure strict compliance, but such a landslide has always occurred.
"This latest tragedy occurred just after the Tanjung Bungah landslide a year ago," he said.
Idris said local government officials who approved the project should resign and accept responsibility for their inaction.
He said all other major projects in the Penang Transport Master Plan should be halted, given the massive overdevelopment they will cause and the lack of capacity of the authorities to oversee and monitor their implementation.
Idris said it clearly showed that the Penang government or its local governments were unable to handle megaprojects.
"All assurances previously given by various state and municipal authorities, as well as by representatives of the state government and its parties, are now misleading," he said.
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