Green Party Malaysia (GPM) said even though the forestry department issued a right-of-way permit for forest clearing, the situation on the ground “is starkly different”.

Its pro-tem secretary Abdul Razal Ismail said two tunnels can be found on-site, with culverts installed along the river beds. Other earthworks are also being carried out at great speed, he said.

“It’s odd that the state government approved the ECRL project on Sept 14, 2022, just five months ago, but the tunnels look like they were constructed quite some time ago,” he said in a statement.

The statement was issued following GPM’s visit to the site yesterday together with several environmental activists and reporters.

The group also said it found several cabins placed in the area as site offices.

It called for a public inquiry to ascertain if the Selangor state park has had its status or use changed.

Last week, GPM claimed that a permit granted to Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd (MRL) to encroach into Selangor’s forest reserves for the ECRL project went against two motions passed by the state assembly.

He claimed that MRL had “overlooked” a 25-year moratorium on logging passed by the state assembly in 2010 as well as a motion to safeguard Selangor’s forest reserves passed in 2020.

Razak asked that the state government’s approval to allow the ECRL track to be constructed encroaching the Gombak state park and Serendah forest reserve be debated in the state assembly.

GPM also urged the assemblymen who had unanimously supported the motion to safeguard Selangor’s forest reserves to voice their dissatisfaction against the state government’s approval.