Kedah MB clears air over logging and felling
Kedah has not given any fresh approval for logging since the current state government came to power in May last year, Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor said today.
He also said the approval for logging in 200ha of the Bukit Enggang Forest Reserve in Sik was given to Yayasan Islam Kedah in 2017 but it obtained the felling licence only at the end of last year.
“I wish to inform that logging takes a long time. Some concessions...
Kedah has not given any fresh approval for logging since the current state government came to power in May last year, Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor said today.
He also said the approval for logging in 200ha of the Bukit Enggang Forest Reserve in Sik was given to Yayasan Islam Kedah in 2017 but it obtained the felling licence only at the end of last year.
“I wish to inform that logging takes a long time. Some concessions approved in 2005 are still in the process of being licenced for felling.
"The signboards carry the date of the felling licence and not the date of logging approval,” he explained to reporters after chairing a meeting of the state executive council in Alor Setar.
Sanusi was responding to recent allegations by several quarters, including NGOs, in the social media that the current state government had approved the logging in Bukit Enggang.
He said the state government cannot withdraw the felling licence even if it was recently obtained as this would result in huge financial implications as the concessionaire can sue the state government over the payments made.
Sanusi added that approval had been given for logging in 75,000ha in the state since 2014 and that the annual felling quota for Kedah set by the National Land Council is 4,000ha.
- Bernama
Since when are logging and felling two different things?? Does not make any sense. You state that some Companies have been waiting since 2005 to get their felling license and still waiting some 15 years later which again does not make sense. You also state that a religious organisation gets a logging licence only 3 years ago and follows up inside of 3 years with the felling license. Some wait at least 15 years and some get preferential treatment within 3 years. What is a religious organisation getting involved in logging for anyway?? Why give them any licenses to log? They certainly do not have any forestry background. Another case of sub let the license for great profit and let the forest rape continue without checks and balances. Under your PAS brained watch MB. You cleared the air so well, now the waters are muddied of truth and increased runoff from the logging operations.
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