Penang to come down hard on errant developers
14/05/2008 New Straits Times By Sharanjit Singh

GEORGE TOWN, WED:

The Penang state government has warned developers that it would come down hard on those which fail to comply with construction regulations when undertaking projects.

To show it means business, a Singaporean property owner undertaking construction work on a new wing at the popular Gurney Plaza shopping mall here is set to be penalised for flouting the law.

The developer had been continuing construction work until 3am on most days despite being warned not to do so. The developer, which is only allowed to do construction work from 8am to 6pm, had been issued the warning in April but it ignored it.

A visibly annoyed chief minister Lim Guan Eng today decided to look into the matter himself by visiting the construction site facing Kelawei Road here.

Lim told off the developer and impressed upon its directors to comply with the law.

"I am angry and disappointed that they did not heed the warning that was issued to them by the local authorities.

"This may be an important project but I hope they will show the same compliance to the law as they do in Singapore," he said, adding the state government would decide on further punitive measures against the developer soon.

Lim also made it clear that unlike in the past, developers must now comply with guidelines and provisions issued to them or they would be penalised.

Lim said developers who may face difficulty with certain provisions issued to them should discuss with the local authorities instead of arbitrarily breaking the law.