SHAH ALAM, Dec 28 — The Bukit Bayu Owners and Residents’ Association, Section U10, Shah Alam, has questioned the ownership status of the lowland forest near their housing area which is currently being developed by a private company.
Its spokesman Nazri Elias said the confusion over the status of the land arose after a signboard was put up declaring that the land belonged to the state government while another stated it was private property.
“One signboard stating that the land belonged to the government was put up after we (the residents’ association) complained about the land clearing to the media in June.
“But around the middle of this month, another signboard was put up saying that the land was private property, and today, two machines were clearing the forest,” he told reporters when met here today.
Nazrin added that the association urged the state government to act immediately to resolve the issue as the forest area was on the fringes of Taman Botani Negara Shah Alam which was a habitat of various forms of wildlife including threatened species like the Malayan Tapir.
“If possible, we want the area to be preserved and gazetted as forest reserve land not just because it is a wildlife habitat but also because it is part of the small forest that is still in Shah Alam.
“This forest is where city folks go hiking with their families,” he said.
In June this year, the association urged the authorities to investigate land-clearing works carried out by a developer in the area as it claimed this would destroy the state’s natural heritage and disrupt the wildlife ecosystem there.
Meanwhile, Kota Anggerik state assemblyman Mohd Najwan Halimi said he would check with the Petaling District and Land Office the status of the land, whether it belonged to the government or was private property.
“If it is really government land, I will ask the authorities to act immediately,” he said. — Bernama
