Penang's Porr and monorail projects shelved - Malaysiakini

In a stunning move which is likely to anger Penang, the government has put off two major projects in the state - the RM2 billion monorail and RM1.5 billion Penang Outer Ring Road (Porr).

According to evening edition of Chinese dailies, the government has slashed the two mega-projects as part of a major review to the Ninth Malaysia Plan.

However, the government denied that the move was aimed to punish Penangnites who have voted the opposition Pakatan Rakyat coalition into power in the state.

It stressed that the shelving of the projects was part of the government's "relocation" of resources to cushion the impact of the unprecedented hike in global oil prices.

The controversial Porr is a 17-kilometre expressway that stretches from Tanjung Tokong to Gelugor in the island, while the monorail was proposed two years ago to help overcome worsening traffic jams in Penang's congested roads.

The postponing of the two projects came despite that the government has promised to invest more on public transportation in the wake of 40 percent hike in petrol prices.

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