Unknown Developer Clearing Forest Reserve

PETALING JAYA: Two hectares of land at the Bukit Gasing Forest Reserve is being cleared by an unknown developer and residents are up in arms over the matter.

Trees have been cut while the river is covered with sand.

Bukit Gasing assemblyman Datuk Dr Lim Thuan Seng who inspected the site yesterday said he was disappointed as the forest was meant to provide education on the environment for schoolchildren.

“Students from Petaling Jaya and Shah Alam come here to study flora and fauna.”

He said the local council should take quick action as the flattened hill could cause a landslide while the stagnant water would serve as a breeding ground for Aedes mosquitoes.

The clearing at the end of Bukit Kerinchi was believed to encroach into the border of Petaling Jaya, which is a part of the Selangor government Forest Reserve gazetted in 1961.

According to Bukit Gasing joint committee action chairman Derek Fernandez, anyone found to have cleared the land without approval could be fined up to RM500,000 or jailed for not more than two years or both.

He said anyone caught illegally cutting trees is also liable to a fine of RM50,000 per tree under state law.

He said the committee suspected illegal dumping and land stealing as the flattened land did not have a signboard to indicate development was in progress.

(c) 2007 New Straits Times. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.