TWO THINGS ARE IMPORTANT ABOUT OUR HILLS: one is the vital need to preserve the forest cover; the other is to prevent erosion of its slopes

But are the authorities concerned about these matters, so vital to our health and well-being?

The answer seems to be a No, the recent news suggests.

FRIENDS OF PENANG HILL have alerted us to the appearance of more bald patches on Penang Hill. An assemblyman reports that hill clearing is becoming serious and regrets that the  Land Office lacks manpower for enforcement. But it is not only the big boys taking advantage to illegally plant durian in forest reserves. A proposed bungalow was discovered, again by Friends of Penang Hill, to be the cause of  hill cutting without authority. And the Universiti Science is not far behind; it  has damaged the hill at Bukit Gambier, without permission, for its expansion. 

The Highland Towers disaster has been forgotten; so also the scandal of the block right next to the Ayer Itam reservoir at Hye Keat estate. We say forgotten, because despite the past promises of a freeze after Highland Towers the state government is proposing a Geotechnical Engineering Council "to look into hill slope problems". It is astonishing to hear the State Public Works, Utilities and Transport Committee chairman say that if council finds a certain hill slope is not safe to be developed it will go back to the developer for remedial steps. The Geotechnical Engineering Council, it is said,  will recommend and identify places where development can be carried out. 

Does this mean that the freeze is over? And the state and council policy which prohibits development of hill land above the 76.2 metres level - is it to be abandoned?

We never learn, do we?