LANGKAWI: Kedah has never received any proposal for the RM30bil Langkawi New City project, said Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir (pic).

Mukhriz said the project was not proposed, discussed, considered or approved by the state government, and was surprised when developer Tan Sri Ting Pek Khiing announced it on Thursday (May 31).

"My current Kedah state government has not yet received the proposal for the development of the Langkawi New City project worth about RM30 billion on the island resort," said Mukhriz in a statement on Friday (June 1).

"The announcement was surprising because the project was not proposed, discussed, considered, let alone approved by my state government," added Mukhriz.

He said that the project was once proposed when he was Kedah Mentri Besar under the previous Barisan Nasional state government, adding that Ting was aiming for the developed properties to be sold to local and foreign buyers.

However, Mukhriz said the original proposal is no longer considered valid, as it was not followed by a deposit payment which met the terms of the state government for the mega project.

Developer Ting Pek Khiing announced the RM30 billion Langkawi New City development project on Thursday, to be built on 81ha of reclaimed land off the west side of Langkawi.

The project will be done by his group of (unnamed) companies and will involve building 30,000 high-end condominium units, commercial centres, berths for ocean liners and yachts plus other facilities.

Ting told Bernama that the project will spur foreign investments in Langkawi and be the biggest project that he has ever embarked on since he started his business activities on the island back in 1991.

Ting's company Ekran Bhd undertook the controversial Bakun Dam in 1994, which was opposed by environmentalists and native rights groups.

Ekran was unable to complete the job, but was reportedly compensated a massive RM950mil by the government.

The Plaza Rakyat project next to the Pudu Raya bus terminal, undertaken by Ting-linked Wembley Industries Holdings Bhd, also ran into problems.

His companies, Ekran and Wembley, were both eventually delisted and ended up in receivership.

Ting himself was declared a bankrupt by the Kuala Lumpur High Court in 2010.