SHAH ALAM, 21 Nov: The State Government has been asked to investigate the Bukit Tarik and Rantau Panjang forest reserve land lease agreement which has been claimed to be ‘biased’ and profiting parties with ties to Umno-BN leaders.
Bukit Antarabangsa Assemblyman, Azmin Ali said that he had previously brought up the issue in the State Assembly sitting in regards to the 2012 Budget.
“The response revealed that on the 22nd of February 2001, the State Government had signed a concession and lease agreement with the Selangor Agricultural Development Corporation (PKPS).”
“PKPS was given the concession to the Bukit Tarik and Rantau Panjang forest reserve land with the area of 5,000 hectares and a 60-year lease.”
“From there, PKPS had join-ventured with several companies, some of which involves Umno-BN leaders,” he said.
Azmin said that the join-venture was in favour of lessee companies that were engaging in plantation projects on the forest reserve.
“According to my inspection, PKPS will acquire returns of RM40 million from the leasing of land measuring 10,000 hectares where else the lessee company would profit more than 4 percent.”
“I came to understand that the total amount that PKPS received was only RM700,000 in 2009 from the proceeds of the Bukit Tarik and Rantau Panjang forest reserve,” he said.