Selangor exco defends ECRL project at state park

 

Selangor executive councillor Hee Loy Sian has defended the construction of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) at the Selangor State Park.

This comes after Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari said the developer, China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), was responsible for land clearing reported to have taken place inside the state park.

According to a report by the Malay Mail, Amirudin said the Chinese construction company had obtained the permit to clear land earmarked for a 2.3km road to be built for “entry facilities” but had begun construction “without approval”.

In response, Hee (above) said up until now, the construction of the ECRL project in the state park has always been controlled to comply with the rules and conditions that are in place.

“The ECRL project in the state has been required to comply with the rules and procedures set by relevant technical agencies.

“The Selangor government is of the opinion that it is appropriate for the ERCL project to be implemented considering that this project contributes to the welfare of the community as well as encourages the growth of the national economic growth,” he said in a statement.

He also explained that the project owner, Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd had obtained approval of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report for section C2 (Gombak- Serendah - Port Klang) on Nov 30, 2021.

“The Selangor State Forestry Department had issued permission through a Usage Permit for the implementation of the EXEL project in the permanent forest reserve in July 2022s,” said Hee.

Previously, environmental watchdog Rimba Disclosure Project pointed the finger at CCCC’s activities in the protected Selangor State Park, saying that it had found through satellite imagery questionable activities that looked like land clearing.

It then conducted a field probe around the locations and found notices of construction work had been erected, indicating that roads were being built for the Gombak-Port Klang section of the ECRL.

Saddened by govt attitute

Meanwhile, the Green Party of Malaysia said it was saddened by the attitude of the federal government in allowing the clearing of parts of the Hulu Gombak Forest Reserve and Serendah Forest Reserve for the ECRL railway route without first obtaining the approval of the EIA report from the Department of Environment (DOE).

“The report we received from the Rimba Disclosure Project (RDP) based on the satellite image display clearly shows that at least four locations in the two forest reserves have been cleared recently.

“A review of the DOE website portal shows that the project owner, Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd, has not submitted an EIA report to the DOE,” said Green Party secretary-general Abdul Razak Ismail.

Razak said the Green Party was aware that the clearing was an “emergency route” of the federal government project as stated on the project signboard, but it should be in full compliance with the laws such as obtaining the EIA approval before the project is implemented. - Mkini