Malaysian Nature Society representative Teckwyn Lim says the Minerals and Geoscience Department considers the zone surrounding the base of the hill as 'very dangerous zone'.
PETALING JAYA: An environment group has joined the foray in urging the Selangor state goevrnment to cancel the proposed condominium project near the Batu Caves temple.
In a statement, Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) representative Teckwyn Lim said that it was unsafe to erect buildings at the land as it received a ‘very high hazard rating” from the authorities.
“The Minerals and Geoscience Department also considers the zone surrounding the base of the hill as a ‘very dangerous zone’, he said.
Last Friday, about 300 people, led by the Sri Subramaniar Temple chairman R Nadarajah, staged a demonstration against the proposed 29-storey condominium project at a land adjacent to the temple.
They feared that the project may cause damages to the cave and the idols in the temple.
The Selangor state government had issued a temporary stop work order on the project and blamed the previous Barisan Nasional (BN) state government for approving the project in 2007.
Selangor exco for local government Ronnie Liu also said that no environmental impact assessment (EIA) was done before the approval was given.
“The development includes a 29-storey service apartment, a 25-storey service apartment, and in front are shophouses that have already been built,” Liu was reported saying.
Lim said that Batu Caves in one of Asia best sampled limestone hills in Asia that also provided habitat to 310 unique species of animals which could not be found elsewhere.
“And there are numerous species that have yet to be formally described and are probably new to science.
“It is surprising that no EIA was done on the proposed project to probe on how it will impact the flora and fauna there, as well as the area’s air and water quality,” said Lim.
He added that the proposed high-rise project would also block the view of the iconic limestone hill which may affect its national heritage status.
“The authorities should recognise the importance of preserving the appearance of this natural heritage monument for its aesthetics and tourism value,” said Lim.
Bipartisan committee
Meanwhile, MIC central working committee member, S Vell Paari called for all parties affected to form a bipartisan committee to find an amicable solution to the matter.
“The committee should include people from BN, Pakatan Rakyat and the temple committee. Let us leave aside political bickering to find a solution to this mess,” he said.
Offering a solution, Vell Paari said that the state government could use legal channel to stop the project as no EIA was done before approval was given.
“It’s a shady deal and the state government could scrap the project. The state government should also consider converting the land into a field for the use of a Tamil school nearby,” he said.
Vell Paari also urged the bipartisan committee to investigate on the people responsible in giving the approval without proper documentation.
He also said that it was obvious that the land was not suitable for high-rise building and may endanger people’s lives should the buildings collapse in years to come.
“This is serious matter. Obviously those who gave the approval got something in return for it. Haul them up and make them accountable for their actions,” said Vell Paari.
PETALING JAYA: An environment group has joined the foray in urging the Selangor state goevrnment to cancel the proposed condominium project near the Batu Caves temple.In a statement, Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) representative Teckwyn Lim said that it was unsafe to erect buildings at the land as it received a ‘very high hazard rating” from the authorities.
“The Minerals and Geoscience Department also considers the zone surrounding the base of the hill as a ‘very dangerous zone’, he said.
Last Friday, about 300 people, led by the Sri Subramaniar Temple chairman R Nadarajah, staged a demonstration against the proposed 29-storey condominium project at a land adjacent to the temple.
They feared that the project may cause damages to the cave and the idols in the temple.
The Selangor state government had issued a temporary stop work order on the project and blamed the previous Barisan Nasional (BN) state government for approving the project in 2007.
Selangor exco for local government Ronnie Liu also said that no environmental impact assessment (EIA) was done before the approval was given.
“The development includes a 29-storey service apartment, a 25-storey service apartment, and in front are shophouses that have already been built,” Liu was reported saying.
Lim said that Batu Caves in one of Asia best sampled limestone hills in Asia that also provided habitat to 310 unique species of animals which could not be found elsewhere.
“And there are numerous species that have yet to be formally described and are probably new to science.
“It is surprising that no EIA was done on the proposed project to probe on how it will impact the flora and fauna there, as well as the area’s air and water quality,” said Lim.
He added that the proposed high-rise project would also block the view of the iconic limestone hill which may affect its national heritage status.
“The authorities should recognise the importance of preserving the appearance of this natural heritage monument for its aesthetics and tourism value,” said Lim.
Bipartisan committee
Meanwhile, MIC central working committee member, S Vell Paari called for all parties affected to form a bipartisan committee to find an amicable solution to the matter.
“The committee should include people from BN, Pakatan Rakyat and the temple committee. Let us leave aside political bickering to find a solution to this mess,” he said.
Offering a solution, Vell Paari said that the state government could use legal channel to stop the project as no EIA was done before approval was given.
“It’s a shady deal and the state government could scrap the project. The state government should also consider converting the land into a field for the use of a Tamil school nearby,” he said.
Vell Paari also urged the bipartisan committee to investigate on the people responsible in giving the approval without proper documentation.
He also said that it was obvious that the land was not suitable for high-rise building and may endanger people’s lives should the buildings collapse in years to come.
“This is serious matter. Obviously those who gave the approval got something in return for it. Haul them up and make them accountable for their actions,” said Vell Paari.
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