Penang to apply for allocation from Federal Govt for PIL 1 project

GEORGE TOWN (Aug 2): The Penang Government will request the Federal Government for an RM10 billion allocation to fund the Pan Island Link 1 (PIL 1) project, said chief minister Chow Kon Yeow yesterday.

“The State Secretariat is in the process of checking the application details. For the past few days, the Secretariat will put in the additional facts to appeal for the allocation before sending the letter to the Prime Minister,” he said at a press conference here yesterday.

The PIL1 project, a component under the RM46-billion Penang Transport Master Plan, is a 19.5km-long toll-free highway alignment from Gurney Drive to the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway near the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone IV area, consisting of 7.6 km of viaduct sections, four tunnel sections totalling 10.1 km in length and embankment sections of 1.8 km.

In another development, Chow announced that Penang had been selected as the first Asian destination to host the World Seafood Congress to be held in September this year.

Themed Seafood Supply Chains of the Future: Innovation. Responsibility. Sustainability, the three-day congress will be held at Setia SPICE Convention Centre from Sept 9. The State had won the bid in 2017.

The congress will address global issues on food safety and it is expected to generate revenue of RM2 million for the State.