The developers of the Forest City project in Johor today insisted that it had followed all the procedures involved when taking part in the biggest land-reclamation project in the southern state of Malaysia.
The Forest City project will see four man-made islands being built in the waters of Tanjung Kupang between southwest Johor and northwest Singapore.
Country Garden Pacific View Sdn Bhd (CGPV) released a statement to clarify several facts while reaffirming its commitment to dialogue and engagement with those concerned.
"In January this year, CGPV received clearance from the Johor Department of Environment to commence reclamation works for the pilot phase."
"CGPV voluntarily ceased operations in June when we were informed that there were concerns about the Forest City project.
"We then voluntarily engaged an independent consultant to conduct a Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (DEIA) and Hydraulic Study on the project."
CGPV said a preliminary report on the Forest City project was then submitted to the authorities, who subsequently granted the developer zoning approval.
"When the first draft of the DEIA and hydraulic study was compiled, several focus group discussions were held with local communities on September 14.
"The purpose of the focus group discussions was to obtained their feedback and concerns about the project to be included in the final DEIA report."
CGPV said another public dialogue was held on September 21 with more than 250 people turning up for the Q & A session with the company.
The developer said the final DEIA report was expected to be ready for submission in two weeks’ time, and will be publicly available.
The Malaysian Insider had reported on September 21 that public dialogue had been a fiery affair with villagers of Tanjung Kupang in Johor venting their anger.
The villagers argued that the biggest land-reclamation project in Johor would lead to the loss of their land and livelihood.
About 200 residents from about a dozen villages around Tanjung Kupang accused CGPV of bulldozing the project through their area without their knowledge.
NGOs, independent experts and political parties also turned up at the dialogue and questioned the developers on details which they claimed were lacking in the DEIA.
These included measures to reduce the damage to a field of sea grass that is an important nesting ground for the fish population which sits in the middle of the project.
Residents were also concerned with efforts to reduce backflow which could lead to flash floods in the area.
It was reported that the islands will have both residential and commercial lots and the project is expected to make a profit of nearly RM290 billion over the next 30 years for CGPV.
The gross development value (GDV) of the project will come up to RM600 billion.
CGPV is a 66-34% joint-venture between China’s Country Garden Holdings Ltd and Esplanade Danga 88 Sdn Bhd, whose main shareholder is the Sultan of Johor.
A state company, Kumpulan Prasarana Rakyat Johor (KPRJ), is also a partner in the project.
The controversial project entails 355ha along the Strait of Johor, close to the Second Link to Singapore and the Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP), and the reclamation of another 1,620ha.
The public hearing on September 21 is one of the terms of a DEIA on the project that CGP has to submit to the Johor government.
The project had initially been approved by the Johor Department of Environment in January, but work at the project’s site was halted in June after CGPV was instructed to submit a DEIA.
The project is being done off the coast of communities of fishermen and sleepy villages, who make a living from sea produce and agriculture in Tanjung Kupang.
The September 21 hearing in the packed Kampung Pok community hall had proceeded smoothly, until a consultant for the project started talking about a survey that was done among villagers.
Forest City project director Datuk Zamani Kasim said there was a focus group meeting with village representatives in June, where the community’s leaders had supported the project.
The company said it had surveyed 100 heads of households in the village. The survey showed 69.2% agreed to the project, while 71.3% thought it had a more positive impact.
CGPV said it had a focus group meeting with village heads and elders where they agreed to the project.
KPRJ executive vice-chairman Datuk Mohd Othman Yusof tried to calm the crowd and win them over with arguments that the people of Johor would benefit from the massive project.
But, residents would have none of it and shouted that they still rejected the project. – September 27, 2014.
Source: www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/developer-insists-johors-biggest-reclamation-project-is-above-board
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