The Selangor Agriculture Development Board (PKPS) said it plans to sue for defamation following claims that the body has illegally encroached on the Sungai Panjang forest.
In a statement today, PKPS said it was developing the Selangor Smart Agro Park (SSAP) within the vicinity only on land it owns.
PKPS said that it is allowed by the Selangor Department of Environment, in a letter dated May 31, to conduct remedial works for irrigation, retention ponds, land stabilisation and prevention of landslides.
The board said that it has received a complaint on Aug 28 on the encroachment of SSAP into the Sungai Panjang forest reserve land and has tightened monitoring activities.
"Encroachment by irresponsible parties started since 2000 - before PKPS was granted rights to the land. The state government had handed the land to PKPS to facilitate monitoring efforts," said PKPS.
"PKPS is fulfilling the stop-work order issued by the Department of Environment on April 8. We view that some quarters are using this opportunity to continue illegal encroachment to tarnish PKPS' and the state government's image."
In view of this, PKPS said it will sue the Coalition for the Protection of Selangor Forests (CPSF) for making the claims to protect its reputation and that of the state government.
Since April, the CPSF has been claiming that the Sungai Panjang forest reserve had been encroached and repeated its claim yesterday in view of the controversy surrounding development plans for the Kuala Langat North Forest Reserve (KLNFR).
On Aug 18, the KLNFR reserve area was quietly cut in half and this was revealed only when the state government was questioned by lawmakers at the State Legislative Assembly on Aug 30.
The state government plans to reserve another part of the Sungai Panjang forest to make up for the eventual loss of forest reserve land in KLNFR.
PKPS is chaired by Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari. - Mkini
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