Owners of cleared land sought

The Star, Friday July 12, 2013 

By JADE CHAN
Photos by NORAFIFI EHSAN

Barren land: A team of MPKj officers from the Enforcement, Planning and Engineering Departments conducting a site inspection of the Sungai Tekali forest area where illegal land clearing has taken place.

THE Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) will work with the Hulu Langat District and Land Office to serve notices to landowners of the Sungai Tekali forest area where illegal land clearing has taken place.

“MPKj carried out an inspection on July 4 and found evidence of illegal site clearing works in the area,” said MPKj president Datuk Hasan Nawawi Abd Rahman.

“The affected area covers 28 lots of land measuring 22.7ha. Before issuing notices or compounds to the offenders, we need to check on their names and addresses with the Hulu Langat District and Land Office.”

Following StarMetro’s exclusive story on illegal felling of rubber trees, land clearing and soil erosion at Sungai Tekali yesterday, MPKj went to the site to stop the operators.

“The compounds will be issued for illegal clearing or earth works.

“The notices will be served by the Planning Department under the Town and Country Planning Act 1976 for illegal development or the Engineering Department under the Street, Drainage and Building Act 1974 for illegal earth works, or both.” he said.

Section 27 (6) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1976 carries a fine of not more than RM100,000 or imprisonment of not more than six months, or both. It also carries a fine of up to RM5,000 for each day of development works.

Offenders who have been issued a notice under Section 70 (a) of the Street, Drainage and Building Act 1974 will have to pay a compound of RM25,000, and a fine not exceeding RM50,000 or imprisonment not exceeding five years, or both if found guilty.

Nawawi said the site where illegal land-clearing works had taken place was agriculture land, but had been re-zoned for housing and industry use.

“MPKj will serve the compounds soon and the landowners will be asked to stop work and rehabilitate the site.

“If the offenders ignore the notices and continue with their land clearing operations, legal action will be taken.”

A stop-work order was also issued on an excavator operator, who was found clearing trees at one of the sites during a check by a team of MPKj officers from the Enforcement, Planning and Engineering Depart-ments yesterday.