Otai Reformis secretary Abdul Razak Ismail said the state government must be clear about the route the ECRL would take and what it would do with the degazetted area if the project did not cross the forest reserve.

His remarks came after project owner Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd (MRL) clarified that the rail line would not travel through Kuala Langat.

Malaysiakini reported MRL as saying that the ECRL would revert to the original alignment where it would link Gombak to Port Klang via Serendah in the north of Selangor, adding that it was thus “irrelevant” for the forest to remain degazetted for the ECRL.

MRL’s statement contradicts the state government’s move to degazette a small portion of the forest reserve for the ECRL project.

Razak said they did not want any portion of the forest to be degazetted and they did not want the ECRL to run through the forest as this would adversely affect the flora and fauna, as well as damage their natural habitat.

He warned that his group and other NGOs would fight to protect the forest.

Last week, Selangor menteri besar Amirudin Shari announced that the state government had reversed its May decision to degazette 536.7ha of the reserve land after the decision came under fire from environmental NGOs and MPs alike.

However, Amirudin said some areas would remain degazetted for the ECRL route, without specifying how large this area would be.