Selangor to regazette Kuala Langat forest reserve

The Selangor government has agreed to cancel the planned development at the Kuala Langat North Forest Reserve (KLNFR) and to regazette the area as a protected zone, following weeks of pressure from green groups and nearby residents.

Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari said the decision was made at a meeting of the Selangor state executive council today.

“The state government will stop the proposed development plan for the area and cancel the ownership of the land to the company in question.

“The state government will also begin the process of regazetting the KLNFR,” he said in a statement.

However, he said some 104 acres of the 1,326 acres involved would remain degazetted to accommodate the Busut Baru Orang Asli village, while another “small area” might likewise remain degazetted for the East Coast Rail Link project.

He said the replacement area comprising 1,436 acres in Sungai Panjang, Ampang Pechah and Bukit Broga meanwhile would retain its status as a permanent forest reserve.

“The state government would like to emphasise that all previous degazetting processes followed procedure in accordance with the law,” he said.

He said the state government would also write to the Selangor speaker to convene a special meeting of the Select Committee on Competency, Accountability and Transparency to answer any issues raised on the previous degazettement.