They last met on Feb 5 two years ago, and were stonewalled by the Selangor Menteri Besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo on concerns raised over the proposal to build a giant incinerator in Broga.

It's February again. Only this time, Mohd Khir has granted the Broga sub-committee a Valentine's Day date at 11.30am.

The sub-committee, whose members are Broga new villagers, has opposed the construction of a mammoth incinerator less than two kilometers away on a hillside.

The chief minister's willingness to meet them after two years of evading their questions and requests for a dialogue, however, has raised some doubts as to the real reason behind his sudden amenability.

No one is complaining, though.

Led by local PAS leader Dr Zulkefly Mohamed Omar, 15 sub-committee members are planning to obtain vital information pertaining to the site of the RM1.5 billion project that received the official nod on May 28 last year.

The committee, part of the Semenyih/Broga No Incinerator pro tem action committee, had initially planned to march into the MB's office today.

Protect water resources

"His (Mohd Khir) political secretary Selamat Dollah called me yesterday afternoon to inform that the MB had agreed to meet us on Feb 14," he said when contacted.

"We want to see him to confirm if the incinerator project site is a gazetted water catchment area/forest reserve.

"This is because the use of land that has been earmarked for the project must be categorised for industrial or heavy development, if the incinerator is to be built there."

On Nov 4, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak told state governments to protect water resources by gazetting identified water catchment areas, targeted to reach a total of 880,000 ha nationwide when completed.

The Selangor government's policy prohibits any form of development on hill slopes measuring above a 25-degree gradient.

Last month, the sub-committee had sent a memorandum appealing for Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's intervention to halt the construction of the 1,500-tonne incinerator plant.

They also wanted him to personally heed their plight and listen to their grievances.

Suit hearing on Feb 14

Zulkefly said Abdullah's political secretary Dr Vincent Lim had called him last week to inform him about the status of the memorandum.

"He said our concerns had been forwarded to the Housing and Local Government Ministry but there has been no response yet.

"He said he will contact me once the ministry response is in."

The ministry is the project proponent.

The legal suit the Broga sub-committee filed in November 2003 at the High Court in Shah Alam will be heard for first time on Feb 14.

Zulkefly said the sub-committee members will go to the court and later adjourn to the MB's office for the meeting.