RESIDENTS of Batu Arang, Selangor, are unhappy with the results of a hearing session on Thursday (March 27) on the proposed waste-to-energy (WTE) project in their vicinity.
Jaringan Rawang Tolak Insinerator (JRTI) spokesperson Abdul Hanan Abd Mokti said the session, which lasted for about an hour, was too short and insufficient for the residents to raise all their concerns.
"Also, of the estimated 80 residents who attended, only six were allowed to voice objections. Others who requested to speak were denied.
"None of the nine questions raised during the session were answered.
"They are not new questions, and the government should have the answers already after more than two years," he said.
He also claimed that Selangor housing and culture committee chairman Datuk Borhan Aman Shah, who chaired the meeting, denied media entry to the session due to concern of the issue being manipulated.
"This is totally against the principle of press freedom," he said after the hearing session at Shah Alam Convention Centre in Shah Alam.
Government staff controlled entry into the briefing room. Only residents with an invitation card from the state government were allowed in.
Abdul Hanan also urged the state government to update the status of the geological study meant to determine Batu Arang's suitability for the WTE project.
"It has been about two-and-a-half years, and there have been no updates on the study. What has happened to it?
"We really hope our questions are answered, as we won't have any other mediums to ask them after today's session.
"The WTE project may just proceed despite all our objections," he said.
Ngo Swee Kok, who lives about 600m away from the proposed project site, urged the Selangor government to conduct studies on the risk of coal mine fire, considering Batu Arang is located above a coal mine.
"A coal mine fire has been burning in Centralia, a town in Pennsylvania, in the United States for more than 60 years.
"Though Batu Arang is not burning now, the risk is there. A study on this needs to be conducted," Ngo told StarMetro outside the briefing room.
The proposed RM4.5bil project has received widespread objections from residents in the surrounding area who are worried about health risks, pollution, traffic hazards, and the impact on property values that may be caused by an incinerator that is part of the WTE project.
State local government and tourism committee chairman Datuk Ng Suee Lim had previously said the project would be developed into an ecopark with additional components, including an innovation research centre, solar field, green energy education centre, and recreational facilities.
Abdul Hanan said these additional components would not change the fact that an incinerator would be located in their area.
"Who would want to go jogging next to an incinerator?" he asked.
StarMetro reached out to Borhan for comments but did not receive a reply.
