KUANTAN – The Pahang Forestry Department (JPNP) has ordered a logging company in the Lentang forest, Bentong, about 173km from here, to clean up road construction residue that is affecting Sg Kenoi.
JPNP director Datuk Mohd Hizamri Mohd Yasin said his department has also ordered cleaning work for the construction of the access road from the licensed logging area to be stopped immediately for re-evaluation.
“Currently we allow licensees only to carry out mitigation work in Sg Kenoi, and they have started cleaning up work on Friday,” he said in a statement today.
He was commenting on the issue of forest encroachment in the Lentang forest, which went viral on social media recently.
Hizamri said the issue of encroachment referred to activities to build a road to the logging area in Bentong district.
He said that the licence for logging had been approved by JPNP and work commenced on October 15. The licensee said it was necessary to go across Sg Kenoi with machinery because the wood needed to build the bridge was in the licensed area.
“Apart from the approval by JPNP, the licensee has also obtained permission from the Bentong Irrigation and Drainage Department to build a road across the Sg Kenoi with certain conditions needing to be complied with.
He said that the road construction has started on October 27.
However, construction was stopped due to protests from lot owners, not far from the licensed area, who said the licensee’s activities had polluted Sg Kenoi and expressed doubts over the logging licence approval. – Bernama, November 1, 2020
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