EIA report will be conducted on RM7 bln Yayasan Sabah project – Liew

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Christina Liew

KOTA KINABALU: The Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry will ensure that an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report will be conducted for the RM7 billion Yayasan Sabah (YS) and Tegas Bangsa Sdn Bhd project in Kg Meruntum, said its minister, Datuk Christina Liew.

Liew, who is also a Deputy Chief Minister, said this in response to a question on Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Seri Rahman Dahlan’s concern over the environmental impact of the billion ringgit project.

“We always do that (EIA report). In the past, there were a lot of projects that had failed and we looked into. Why these projects had failed? Because they (previous administration) never had the EIA report (done). So, they do not know what is under the ground. The project failed so it became a white elephant,” she said.

“But now we implement this. I make it very strict. We insist that we must go through all these things. All the procedures will be complied with. Don’t worry about it,” she added.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal announced on July 3 the record breaking RM7 billion YS-TBSB joint development agreement that would bring a different kind of lifestyle to Kota Kinabalu.

He said TBSB, a special purpose vehicle company of Pavilion Real Estate Investment Trust (Pavilion REIT), proposed to develop the 391 acres of YS land, located at Lot A, Kg Meruntum, Lok Kawi in Putatan, as a mixed touristic and commercial development.

Meanwhile, Liew asked the hotel industry players in Sabah to persevere through challenges brought forth by the Covid-19 pandemic as she expected the state tourism industry to blossom again in 2021.

“September onward, if we start having tourists come in, they will maybe partially open. But next year, I am very confident that hotels will be doing well. They have to persevere a little bit.

“I am very confident that by next year, tourism sector is coming back in full swing, life will be better and the unemployed will be coming back to work,” she said.