GEORGE TOWN: Penang MCA has questioned the reason behind the high cost of the planned 19.5km Pan Island Link 1 (PIL-1) project by DAP-led state government.
State MCA youth wing chairman Datuk Michael Lee Beng Seng said the state government had planned the most expensive highway in Malaysia, the cost of which will end up being borne by Penangites.
He quoted a press statement by Local Government and Traffic Management Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow, who revealed recently that the PIL-1 will cost RM7.5bil.
"This is equivalent to a staggering RM385 million per km, easily the most expensive highway in Malaysia by far.
"Three years ago, DAP's elected representatives claimed that the RM161mil per km cost of the planned Kinrara-Damansara Expressway (KIDEX) in Selangor was the most expensive highway in the country. This PIL-1 costs 140 per cent higher than it.
"We are concerned that this huge RM7.5bil cost for just one 19.5km highway will eventually be borne by Penangites," he said in a statement today.
Lee also challenged the state government to reveal the cost for reports for the RM7.5bil PIL-1 project as he claimed that the state government has a habit of substantially overpaying consultancy costs.
"It seems that Pakatan's mega infrastructure projects, especially in Penang, costs substantially higher than similar projects by the federal government," he added.