COMMENT The Havens Lakeside Resort Residences in Tambun, Ipoh is supposed to boast of a national heritage within their compound - a piece of rock which has since been fossil-dated to well over 280 million years.

This was based on studies conducted by Professor Dr Bernard Pierson, Shell chair of Petroleum Geosciences, who shared his knowledge with guests during a recent event of naming the 280 million-year-old rock.

Such a geological heritage should have made Perakians proud, especially since the five-star Havens Luxury Resort (managed by Best Western International) has been accorded numerous accolades both national and international on eco-development and other green initiatives, but now, land clearing work in the vicinity is causing a lot of anxieties to residents of an adjacent development known as Permai Lakeview apartments.

Kent Foo ( photo ) and his joint-management committee (JMC) have sought explanations from the Menteri Besar Incorporated (MBInc) on the land-clearing activities which Foo said has apparently started encroaching into the forest reserve land.

Preserve the ecology

They are concerned that if the state and the federal governments fail to intervene immediately, Perakians may soon lose its green belt like in the Cameron Highlands and other parts of the state.

As a result, the ecology of the entire area may be affected. “Since land clearing started, we have had several incidents of mud flowing into our compound,” he said.

Currently, there are still beautiful flora and fauna in the area and Foo would like it to be preserved for the sake of the future generations. “When the developers of the Havens built their apartments and luxury condominiums, they were very careful not to even cut a single tree,” he said. “Now, we see indiscriminate land clearing in our neighbourhood.”

This, Foo added, is also destroying the residents’ dream of seeing the place turned into a major tourist attraction for the state of Perak.

“Ours may be low-cost apartments here, but the quality of building and the way how the JMC manages the rubbish collection has helped to cause the prices of the apartments to appreciate further,” he said. “In fact, we can be a role model to other JMCs in the country.”

Foo, a property agent himself who owns a unit at Permai Lakeview, next to the Havens Lakeside, said he would be disappointed if the Menteri Besar’s Office does not immediately stop the land clearing activities.

On the matter of a high-rise project adjacent to Permai Lakeview reported by Malaysiakini on Friday, Foo said that the response from MBInc in the past has not been very forthcoming.

“We had to apply for a judicial review in order to stop the work on this 1.9-acre land intended for infrastructure and utilities,” he said.

Encroachment

Based on the Ipoh 2020 plan, the land referred to by Foo was gazetted as ‘hutan simpanan’ (or forest reserve).

The initial land clearing was for a limited number of terrace houses that had been approved, but as the weeks went by, clearing continued deeper into the forest reserve. It appears to have now encroached into the state’s green belt.

The Menteri Besar’s Office is ultimately responsible for what happens to the state’s green belt and how a piece of land of 1.9 acres adjacent to Permai Lakeview Apartments could be used for a high-rise apartment, until the residents applied for a judicial review and won the case.

Now, the question is why the land gazetted as forest reserve has also suffered a similar fate. Malaysiakini has since written to MBInc to enquire about the land clearing activities in the area, as well and is also awaiting a reply from the company’s chief executive officer, Aminudin Hashim.

Part I: Building project in Tambun raising anxiety

STEPHEN NG is an ordinary citizen with an avid interest in following political developments in the country since 2008.