The housing development at the Tanjung Bungah hillslope where a landslide occurred last Saturday, killing 11 workers, was today declared to have complied with the ‘Safety Guidelines for Hill Site Development 2012’.

The project was approved after obtaining feedback from about 20 federal and state agencies, Penang Island City Council (MBPP) mayor Maimunah Sharif said.

Responding to the statement from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment that it did not approve the development, Maimunah said the development obtained the approval of the Mineral and Geoscience Department on Dec 30, 2014.

Maimunah said 20 other technical departments also gave their views on the development in a One-Stop Centre (OSC) committee meeting on Feb 18, 2015, and the decision to approve it was based on the feedback.

Asked if MBPP would declassify the minutes of that particular OSC meeting, Maimunah responded in the positive, saying the documents would also be submitted to the State Commission of Inquiry on the disaster when its hearing commences...