40 permits for agriculture, livestock in Pahang permanent forest reserves issued

KUANTAN, March 29 (Bernama) --  The Pahang Forestry Department (JPNP) has issued 40 permits for the purpose of agriculture and livestock farming in permanent forest reserves (HSK) with 28 of them in the district of Cameron Highlands.

Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail said the other districts involved are Raub with seven permits followed by Kuantan/Pekan/Maran (three) and Jerantut (two), while 122 permits were issued for other purposes.

“They involved permits for forest roads recording the highest with 43 permits, apart from telecommunication towers, mini-hydroelectric power projects, electric power transmission lines, railways and so on,” he said.

Wan Rosdy was replying to a question by Young Syefura Othman (PH-Ketari) at the State Legislative Assembly sitting today.

Meanwhile, a detailed environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the construction of a bypass in Cameron Highlands would be carried out in the design phase after the project has been approved by the Ministry of Finance (MOF) and the Public Works Ministry (KKR).

State Public Works, Transport and Health Committee chairman Datuk Seri Norolazali Sulaiman said the state Public Works Department through the State Economic Planning Division (BPEN) has submitted the application for the bypass project to the KKR in phases for the Third Rolling Plan of the 12th Malaysia Plan.

"KKR has completed the Cameron Highlands traffic congestion study on Oct 7, 2021 and subsequently, KKR must present the results of the study to the Economic Planning Unit, Prime Minister's Department first," he said at the Pahang State Assembly sitting at Wisma Sri Pahang here today.

Norolazali was replying to a question by Chiong Yoke Kong (PH-Tanah Rata) who wanted to know the latest status of the proposed bypass and if there was an EIA study done as Cameron Highlands is an environmentally sensitive area.

-- BERNAMA