> Forest occupants evicted

ALL 30 households and an organisation occupying plots of forest reserve land at Sungai Janggut near Jeram in Kuala Selangor have been ordered to vacate the land, despite having titles.

Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim announced yesterday that the decision was made at the weekly state executive council meeting in Shah Alam on Wednesday.

Khalid also said that the Selangor state forestry department was no longer allowed to issue titles, permits or licences as the state executive council would now be wholly responsible for giving such approvals.

The state government took swift action on the occupants and the state forestry department following the front-page report yesterday in StarMetro exposing the land title fiasco in Kuala Selangor.

”The land occupants must move out from the forest reserve and should start making the necessary preparations to do so. We are prepared to give a grace period for them to move out if they apply for it,” Khalid said.

“We understand that the livelihood of some occupants are affected but there are rules to follow,” he said.

“These people can apply for exemption to stay on if the plots they are occupying do not affect the forest. But if the forest is affected, then the application will be rejected,” he said.

Khalid said that with immediate effect the forestry department was no longer allowed to issue titles, licences and permits as all its powers had been withdrawn.

“Most of the permits issued earlier were for growing vegetables, logging and quarry businesses. Now, the Sungai Janggut forest reserve has six quarries,” Khalid said.

“The forestry department was vested with wide powers all the while and it could do anything it wished. But, from now on, it’s going to be different,” he said.

According to Khalid, the forestry department can only receive applications from now on. The processing of the applications will be done by the State Economic Planning Unit which will submit its recommendations to the state executive council for the final decision.

”With this two-tier mechanism, there will be no room for hoodwinking the state administration. We have to implement such measures to ensure the forest reserves are protected,” he said.

Khalid said that due to the previous haphazard arrangement, there had been some indiscretionary approvals given to the applicants or villagers to use the fringes of the forest for cultivation.

“Since such irresponsible action has been found out, the abuse has to be stopped. Our decision is that no more title, permit or license must be issued in connection with the forest reserve,” he said - The Star.