Bukit Cherakah to lose more land
NST 30/7/2005

KUALA LUMPUR, Fri. - Bukit Cherakah is set to lose yet another chunk of its forest reserve barely months after a national furore over massive land clearing in the area.

This time 118.7 hectares, part of the Bukit Cherakah permanent reserve forest, has been de-gazetted. The notice of de-gazettement was published in the Selangor Gazette on June 23.

This comes more than a year after the publication of official notices announcing development plans in the area. A check of the area revealed a weather-beaten notice board by the Shah Alam City Council announcing a proposed mixed development on 30.4 hectares by Permodalan Negeri Selangor Berhad (PNSB).

A similar advertisement was published in the New Straits Times on May 13, 14 and 15 last year inviting objections to the proposed project.

Both the signboard and advertisements, erected last year, stated that the 30.4ha was part of a larger area measuring 118ha that had already been alienated.

According to the National Land Code, States can only alienate or give out "State land" to a third party. Reserved land such as forest reserves are not classified as State land.

In order to alienate a forest reserve, the State must first revoke its reserve status. This turns the reserve into State land and gives the state authority the power to alienate.

The Shah Alam City Council planning department confirmed that the entire 118ha was alienated to PNSB. It said PNSB was issued with a stop-work order earlier this year when the Section U10 land clearing controversy made headlines in February.

It is learnt that PNSB has submitted geological and environmental reports on its proposed developments in the 30.4ha and had been given the green light to proceed with the project.

However, a PNSB public relations officer said the company would not comment on the matter. A survey map showed that the degazetted portion of forest lies on either side of the Shah Alam - Puncak Alam highway in an area known as Section U10.

Development in Section U10 came under fire a few months ago when newspapers reported indiscriminate clearing in 1,200ha of forested land there.

Three areas within the nearby Bukit Cahaya Seri Alam agriculture park the vegetable and fruit gardens, cultural village and the Sungai Baru dam - were affected by the development.

Clearing work also affected neighbouring Kampung Budiman which experienced flash floods. Following a public outcry, stop-work orders were issued to developers in the area and these were to remain in force until the Malaysian Public Works Institute (Ikram) submitted a detailed study to the State.

Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo said at the time that work could resume after Ikram's report but developers would be subjected to additional conditions.

In all, 35 developers were involved in land works in the area and several have been charged in court for a variety of offences. The controversy also saw Dr Khir announcing the State's decision to make Environmental Impact Assessments compulsory for development on land exceeding 20ha.