KUALA LUMPUR – Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari has confirmed that a Chinese construction company was behind the land-clearing works in the state’s forest reserves that were done “without approval”.
Verifying that China Communications Construction Company (M) Sdn Bhd (CCCC) was behind the deforestation activities said to make way for the 665km-long East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project, Amirudin said that the authorities are investigating the matter after a police report was lodged last December.
“There was a road permit issued to CCCC for the purpose of constructing a road towards…entry facilities for the ECRL project that spans 2.3km (1.8 hectare),” he was reported as saying by Malay Mail today.
“The CCCC had started work without approval and enforcement action had been taken in December 2022,” he was quoted as saying.
Amirudin, who is also Gombak MP, did not mention if probes had resulted in the company being penalised or if it was issued a stop-work order.
Yesterday, The Vibes reported environmental watchdog group Rimba Disclosure Project raising the alarm over the land clearing.
The group pointed to an Environmental Impact Assessment report titled East Coast Rail Project C2 Gombak-Serendah-Port Klang, which has yet to receive the Environment Department’s approval.
A spokesman for CCCC subsequently told The Vibes that the company had obtained all necessary approvals and permits from the relevant authorities to proceed with the project.
On December 21, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that the overall cost to complete the ECRL project is now RM74.96 billion, which is RM11.01 billion lower than originally set.
He said that the government will proceed with the project to construct the 665km-long rail system from Kota Baru in Kelantan to Port Klang in Selangor.
The original total development cost (TDC) of the project when it was launched in 2017 amounted to RM85.97 billion.
The Transport Ministry explained on December 22 that the savings in the TDC were contributed by, among others, the realignment of the track at Section C involving the Temerloh, Serendah-Port Klang alignment.
It also said that the project has been upgraded for passenger and cargo services. – The Vibes, January 3, 2023
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