Ipoh Mayor Datuk Zamri Man stated they are investigating the recent land clearing in Gunung Panjang hill, as no permission was granted for such activities.
“What the contractor is doing is illegal. We did not issue any permit to clear the land there.”
Earlier this month, it was reported that a contractor was clearing land on the hill on 17 November. Some concerned residents confronted the contractor, who claimed that he received permission to establish a durian orchard there.
“Our enforcement officers inspected the site recently, they saw a few people there and chased them away,” said Zamri.
Residents revealed that this is the second time that portions of land on the hill were cleared since 2011. Back then, an individual attempted to mine iron ore there, but operations ceased after the authorities were alerted.
But there are concerns that the recent land clearing could trigger landslides or rockslides. In fact, residents recently found out that some trees have fallen and some rocks have been dislodged, noted residents’ spokeswoman Wong Pek Yin.
“These problems (fallen trees and rocks) are occurring even without disturbance. We can imagine what could happen if some form of development was to take place there.”
“Our wish is simple, leave the hill alone,” she added.
Meanwhile, non-governmental organisation Persatuan Aktivis Sahabat Alam (KUASA) said no projects should be built on the hill, including plantations.
“The area is not suitable for any development. To set up a durian orchard means to destroy all vegetation in the area,” said KUASA President Hafizudin Narazudin
“The state, especially the Department of Environment, needs to step in to resolve the matter,” he added.
Asked regarding the hill clearing issue, Perak Barisan Nasional Public Service and Complaints Centre Chief Mohd Rawi Abdullah said he had sent a letter to the State Islamic Affairs and Malay Customs Council. He will it up, as there is no reply yet.
He revealed that he previously brought several durian growers to study whether the area can be transformed into an orchard.
“Having assessed the area, they just laughed at the idea. They said it was impossible to build an orchard there, given its rocky terrain.”
“To me, I think we face a similar situation like what happened in 2011,” Mohd added.
Image sourced from The Star.
This article was edited by the editorial team of PropertyGuru. To contact them about this or other stories email editorialteam@propertyguru.com.my
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