Palanivel: Illegal land clearing must stop

14 January 2014| last updated at 11:11PM

Its minister, Datuk Seri G. Palanivel, said the Perak Land and Mines director-general and environment director-general would discuss the matter with the district land office.

He said the district land office, state government and the Attorney-General's Chambers should immediately put a stop to such illegal activities in the affected areas.

"Furthermore, land clearing on hilly areas will cause soil erosion and floods," he said in a statement here yesterday.

Palanivel was commenting on a News Straits Times report which stated that the Sungai Bertam tragedy had failed to prevent stubborn farmers from farming along river reserves, buffer zones, roadsides and hilly terrain.

On Oct 23 last year, tonnes of water were released from the Sultan Abu Bakar Dam after it hit the dam's maximum threshold limit, following heavy rains. In the ensuing flash floods, three people were killed.

Palanivel, who is also Cameron Highlands member of parliament, said illegal land-clearing activities in the highlands should cease, and the land office should take stern and immediate action to protect the land.

He said Cameron Highlands was a tourist area but arrivals were dropping due to illegal clearing of land for agriculture activities, which had also adversely impacted the environment.

Palanivel said environmentalists were "very angry and annoyed" at the rampant destruction caused by illegal land-clearing activities. Bernama

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Palanivel: Illegal land clearing must stop