KUALA LUMPUR – The Selangor government’s plan to degazette a parcel of land in Bukit Cherakah forest reserve has been temporarily suspended, following the Shah Alam high court’s decision to grant interim stay on the matter.
According to FMT, the court granted two non-governmental organisations, the Shah Alam Community Forest Society (SACF) and Khazanah Alam Malaysia (Peka) an interim stay order.
SACF representative Lim Teck Wyn and Peka’s Damien Thaman Divean filed the application last week, seeking a judicial review to challenge the gazettement of 406ha piece of area within the forest reserve.
Among the respondents named were Selangor executive councillors, state Forestry Department directors, and Petaling Land and Mines Department.
Rajesh Nagarajan, Sachpreetraj Singh Sohanpal, and Arun Ganesh Boopalan who represented the NGOs confirmed the interim stay order.
Currently, the forest is safe for the time being as Rajesh said that no activities will be allowed until the leave application is heard.
He also added that September 28 would be the date of the hearing.
The NGO also alleged that the degazettement was backdated for up to 22 years, and was supposed to take effect on November 20, 2000.
“As required under the National Forestry Act (Amendment) Enactment 2011, a public inquiry shall be done by the state government,” they added.
The Bukit Cherakah forest reserve excision was done under Section 11 of Selangor’s National Forestry Act (Adoption) Enactment 1985 (Selangor NFA 1985).
According to the Selangor Forestry Department, the exercise was conducted to complete a process that purportedly began in 2000, with the current state government taking an appropriate role in resolving matters delayed for over two decades.
Previously in June, the SACF representative handed a memorandum on Bukit Cherakah Forest Reserve’s degazettement to PKR to express their concern on the issue. – The Vibes, August 11, 2022.
