FWD: Groups welcome freeze on hillside development

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This article is from thestar.com.my

URL: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2003/3/2/nation/cmsel & sec=nation

 

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Sunday, March 02, 2003

Groups welcome freeze on hillside development

 

 

PETALING JAYA: Two environmental groups have lauded the Selangor Government's

move to immediately freeze all applications for hillside development.

 

Worldwide Fund for Nature Malaysia executive director Datuk Dr Mikaail

Kavanagh Abdullah said enforcement to curb unregulated development should be

made top priority for all states.

 

“We are willing to assist the state government and hope that other states will

follow suit.

 

“The commitment given shows political will to protect the hillsides,” he said

in a statement yesterday.

 

Dr Mikaail said the Science, Technology and Environment Ministry had recently

made proposals to amend the Land Conservation Act 1960 to impose stiffer

penalties on those responsible for illegal hill-clearing activities.

 

“While the Act provides measures for regulating hillside development, other

relevant legal instruments such as the Environmental Quality Act 1974 and the

National Land Code 1965 should be looked at,” he added.

 

Malaysian Nature Society president Datuk Dr Salleh Mohd Nor said the state

government's intervention for the conservation of hillsides in Selangor was

timely and only selective development should be allowed.

 

“The society welcomes the decision in view of its current campaign for the

protection of Taman Botani in Kota Damansara, which is part of the original

Sungai Buloh Forest Reserve,” he said.

 

He added that the forest was targeted for development of housing projects.

 

Dr Salleh said the forest was unsuitable for these projects as it was hilly and

there were several water catchments located there.

 

He said MNS had called for the inclusion of the park for the proposed

protection under the Act, as green lungs in urban areas must be given

protection.

 

The groups were commenting on the state government's decision to freeze all

applications for hillside projects located on 25-degree gradients.

 

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