Project owner: ECRL does not involve de-gazettement of forest reserves

 

Land clearing to facilitate the Selangor section of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) does not involve the de-gazettement of forest reserves.

This was stated by ECRL project owner Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd (MRL) in a statement today.

MRL said construction activities for Section C2 (Gombak-Serendah-Port Klang) were currently taking place and stakeholders were consulted in accordance with regulatory requirements.

“To facilitate preparatory works for ECRL construction, MRL has obtained a ‘permit izin lalu’ (right-of-way permit) from the Forestry Department so that our contractors can enter the forest reserve to carry out licensed activities related to ECRL,” said the firm.

According to the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report for the project, Section C2 will pass through three permanent forest reserves in Selangor - Ulu Gombak, Serendah, and Rantau Panjang.

Although the ECRL track involving the Ulu Gombak forest reserve will mostly be underground, the EIA report suggested that there will be at least 0.9ha of forest lost, among other impacts.

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Last week, environmental group Rimba Disclosure Project furnished satellite images that suggested forest clearing in the Selangor State Park.

According to Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari, China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) was issued a permit to clear land within the Selangor State Park to access an adit.

Meanwhile, MRL said Section C2 of the EIA report for the ECRL project was approved by the Department of Environment on Dec 20, 2021.

Following this, the Selangor government provided regulatory approval on Sept 14, 2022. - Mkini