Special approval for private medical centre’s construction angers George Town residents

GEORGE TOWN – Residents living close to the building site of Island Hospital’s Island Medical City (IMC) here are unhappy that a special approval was given for construction work to commence during the current movement control order (MCO 3.0).

This is because a lot of wage earners need to work at home during this time.

A homeowner who only wants to be known as Seng said that residents were not consulted  before the approval was given.

“We were told two days ago that they had the approval to start work and so they will be starting work tomorrow.

“Since June 1, they have been asked to stop work as they are not under the 17 essential service sectors and are not listed under critical infrastructure work. I don’t know how they managed to get the approval now.

“We all have to work from home and are not allowed to go out. With the construction starting, there will be so much noise and we have no offices to go to and there is nowhere to escape the din,” he told The Vibes.

He said before the first MCO in March 2020, construction would end by 6pm. However, the pandemic has limited its construction progress. 

Therefore, IMC was given permission to work until 10pm, much to the displeasure of the residents. Despite complaints, construction still went on and usually ends between 8pm and 10pm.

“This special approval also came from the Penang Island City Council (MBPP). This approval by MBPP is rather cruel and astonishing.

“Materialistic or commercial gains are the considerations that supersede all the other considerations.

Rules have been laid out but broken by the authorities which gave this special approval,” he said.

As a comparison, the construction site along Jalan Pierce was once instructed to close on December 31 due to a Covid-19 cluster.

When contacted, a MBPP spokesman said that the construction site has obtained approval to continue work from the International Trade and Industry Ministry (Miti) subject to the Health Ministry’s standard operating procedures. 

The construction firm also fulfilled the condition of having centralised labour quarters on site.

Penang local government exco Jagdeep Singh Deo told The Vibes that all construction sites are subject to the standard MCO rules. – The Vibes, June 20, 2021