THE PAS-led state government was questioned over the tender approval for the logging of
several thousand hectares of land at the site of a proposed second dam at Tasik Kenyir called Kenyir II.
Tengku Putera Tengku Awang (BN – Telemong) alleged that the government was only interested in procuring timber revenue by approving logging at the Tembat Permanent Forest Reserve.
He alleged the logging was approved despite the absence of any agreement or a firm commitment by Tenaga Nasional Berhad on the proposed second dam project.
In June this year, Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang had said the state government had awarded the RM265mil tender to a consortium of three companies to log an area encompassing about 4,000ha near Tasik Kenyir as the area would be submerged by water for the second dam project.
State Economic Development, Petroleum, Industrialisation and Human Resources Committee chairman Datuk Mustafa Ali said the forest biomass was being “cleared” before the area was submerged for the second dam.
Using the word “bodoh” (stupid) several times, he said the previous BN government had submerged the forest at Tasik Kenyir for the hydro-electric power station without clearing the forest biomass.
This, he said had resulted in the losses of millions of ringgit as the timber was not extracted.
In contrast, he said the state government was “proactive” in not repeating past mistakes.
Replying to supplementary questions from both Tengku Puteraand Rosol Wahid (BN –Ajil), he said TNB had yet to officially inform the state government that the project had been cancelled.
“We will wait for written response from TNB before deciding on our next course of action,'' he said.
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