ALOR SETAR, June 15 — The Kedah government cannot simply revoke the approval of limestone quarry projects in Gunung Baling and Gunung Pulai, near Baling as approval had already been given by the previous state administration, Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor said.
He said thorough work needs to be done prior to shelving the projects due to legal and financial reasons.
“This is not a new approval. That was done in 1997. I recall, in the Singkir case, to cancel the quarry project there some RM40 million in compensation was paid… the state government does not have that sort of money to pay, and that is why it’s taking this long to resolve this issue.
“The state government, however, has taken several measures, including flood prevention and so on,” he said when responding to calls by residents who live on the foothills of Gunung Pulai and Gunung Baling to revoke the projects.
They have expressed fear that the quarry operations will have adverse economic and environmental effects in their areas.
Separately, Muhammad Sanusi said a high-tech multinational company (MNC) from Germany has expressed its interest to invest in Kedah with the investment value to be announced by the company itself later.
“This company is looking for a location to expand its investment internationally, so we have offered several locations in Kedah, especially in Kulim Hi-Tech.
“It’s just that currently, we have a little problem in Phase 4A (at Kulim Hi-Tech Park), I hope the federal government can pay attention to this matter,” he said.
Earlier, Muhammad Sanusi was present at the handover ceremony of 150 sets of tents, tables and chairs to the Village Head Council (MKK) under the ‘Sejahtera Komuniti’ programme at Wisma Darul Aman here.
