Janda Baik villagers protest development plans for area

BENTONG: Kampung Janda Baik villagers are protesting development plans there which they believe can threaten their homes and the area's natural beauty.

A group of 35 villagers protested at the Bentong Municipal Council by sending in over 1, 500 public objection and feedback forms on Wednesday (Aug 7).

The forms were collected from settlers objecting to the development under a Special Area Plan for the village, which is home to some 2, 820 people.

The plans include widening river and road reserve areas, building a dam upriver from Sungai Benus, as well as gazetting an area measuring up to 187ha for housing projects.

Landowner and villager Hanifah Mohd Rabin said many villagers were upset because they were not consulted about the plans, which had been drafted around 2015.

“We only heard about them from a small focus group participated by a few villagers last October, and while it seemed that the plans were supposed to transform Janda Baik into an international eco-tourism destination, it didn’t look like that to us.

“Their plans could also threaten the single traditional Malay village left in the highlands, ” he said.

Hanifah claimed that there were plans to redevelop Janda Baik, but added that the Bentong Municipal Council was rushing into them.

“The plans were also badly designed as the consultant hired by the council did not come to Janda Baik to properly assess the area before drafting the plans, ” he added.

Hanifah said that villagers had given their feedback before and had hoped the plans would be changed to accommodate their opinions, but added that it did not happen.

He added many villagers risk losing their homes and businesses if the development plans were allowed to continue.

“A lot of the houses and businesses are located by the roadside and river. If the reserve areas were widened, these people would lose their houses in the future, ” he said.