MP slams Selangor govt’s silence on Kinrara forest land sale

 Subang MP Wong Chen says over 7,500 residents have objected to the proposed development, raising concerns over safety and transparency.

Rawang assemblyman Chua Wei Kiat (second from left), Subang MP Wong Chen (third from left), and several residents’ representatives, including Kathryn Wong (third from right), visited the land earmarked for development near the Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve in Kinrara, Selangor.

SUBANG JAYA:

 Subang MP Wong Chen has criticised the Selangor government for failing to respond to multiple letters over the sale of land near the Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve in Kinrara, despite growing objections from residents.

Wong said he had sent three formal letters since December, seeking clarification on the sale of about 68.4ha of land marked for development, but received no official reply.

“We are disappointed that the Selangor government has not officially replied to our formal letters,” he told a press conference at the Subang parliamentary constituency service centre here today.

Rawang assemblyman Chua Wei Kiat and several residents’ representatives were also present at the press conference.

The proposed development has drawn strong opposition from local residents, with Wong saying 7,541 complaints had been submitted regarding the project.

He stressed that the issue was not about rejecting development, but the lack of transparency surrounding the sale of the land to Perano Properties Development Sdn Bhd, including the purpose and price of the deal.

Wong also raised concerns about the site’s terrain, describing parts of it as steep and dangerous.

“What I’m worried about is the safety of my people. They deserve green land, they deserve a good environment, and they deserve their houses not being caught in a landslide later.”

Wong said Chua had submitted a question about the land deal for the upcoming Selangor assembly sitting which begins on April 20, hoping this would compel the state government to provide an official explanation for the sale.

‘Buy back the land and re-gazette it’

Wong proposed that the state government consider buying the land back from the developer, either partially or in full.

“If the state government doesn’t have the money, buy back the land that is steep and dangerous,” he said, estimating that the total cost would be RM193 million based on available data.

Kathryn Wong, a residents’ representative, also urged the state government to buy back the land and re-gazette it as a permanent forest reserve.

Selangor exco Jamaliah Jamaluddin previously clarified that the land was de-gazetted from the Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve in 1926 and is no longer classified as a permanent forest reserve.

She also said that local authorities had not received any development applications for the site. - FMT