Use a portion of Dept land for settlement: MP

Use a portion of Dept land for settlement: MP Kota Kinabalu: The State Government has been urged to consider reviewing the 200-acre State land provided to the State Human Resource Development Department in Kundasang, Ranau and take out a portion of it for providing a new settlement for villagers affected by landslides or those at risk. Ranau Member of Parliament Datuk Siringan Gubat, in making the call, also highlighted the need for a comprehensive or detailed study to be carried out on Kundasang, as had also been suggested by the Sabah Environmental Protection Association (Sepa), that can provide proper short, medium and long-term solutions. He said reviewing the status of the said land, which has remained undeveloped since given to the department (previously known as Sinar) during the Berjaya-led State Government era decades ago before being handed over to Insan (the government training institute), can be one of the solutions. "I hope the State Government can give due consideration to this, considering this concerns the livelihoods of Malaysian citizens whose lives are at risk. I see no harm to take out a portion of the 200 acres for the purpose of opening a new settlement for those affected (by landslides), as after all, there seems to be no plan on the part of the government agency concerned to utilise it," he said. He was confident that with proper planning and development direction, the opening of a portion of the said land for a new settlement for the affected villagers can be done without any problem or harm to the environment. The said land has been in the centre of controversy recently after a group of villagers reportedly encroached into it, just a small portion of the total area located between the Desa Cattle and Dream World Resort, and cleared it for starting up a new settlement there. The villagers concerned claimed they are from several villages in Kundasang looking for a place to build their new homes because they were threatened by landslides. They claimed they have no other choice but to look for a new place which is stable and safe. They could not wait any longer. The villages were reported as Kampung Lembah Permai, Dumpiring, Desa Aman, Sinisian, Giman and Kundasang Lama. "After I have visited the areas and talked to the people concerned, I decided to be on their side on this matterÉbut for the new settlement, what needs to be made sure is that it only involves those truly affected by landslides," said Siringan. On another note, Siringan also supported the suggestions, including by Sepa, to the State Government to do a comprehensive study on Kundasang which can help in providing a complete solution particularly to the landslide problem there. Sepa (Sabah Environmental Protection Association) had on April 19 called on the State Government to do a comprehensive strategic environmental study on Kundasang, which it described as one of the State's environmentally-sensitive and economically important areas. The association also wants the Government to set up a stakeholders committee involving all the relevant government departments and agencies as well as related organisations and associations. Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister-cum-Keranaan Assemblyman Datuk Masidi Manjun, on the other hand, had also asked Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) if it is possible for it to do a research on how to mitigate the landslide problem in Kundasang and how the community could be taught very simple ways to mitigate the problem and at least stabilise the land movement there. A team from UMS is reported recently to be going to a village in this area to help educate the community there on the environmental aspects. Siringan said his visits and communications with the villagers in Kundasang showed the villagers actually are well aware of the importance of looking after their surrounding environment, particularly when landslides in Kundasang are not new to them, so the important thing is for UMS to assist in doing the comprehensive study. "UMS should be the proper institution to do the needed comprehensive study on Kundasang. I think this is more important than just going to the villagers there and to teach them on the environmental aspects," he said. The latest major landslide occurred in Kundasang Lama in early May this year, which damaged 22 houses and forcing 100 people from 36 families to be evacuates from their homes. It also destroyed some of the chalets at the Zen Garden Resort. http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/print.cfm?NewsID=78264 Green Sabah says:Hope that the MP's suggestion to take out a portion of the 200-acre land in Kundasang to provide settlements to villagers whose houses are affected by the landslides.