Zahri said the project was approved as the developer’s plans met all the criteria, adding that it did not encroach on Bukit Gasing’s forest reserve area.

“(The project) is located on land that can be developed. There is a clear delineation of the border with the forest reserve,” he was quoted as saying by The Star.

Last week, environmental group Peka threatened to take legal action against MBPJ if it did not halt the development activity in Bukit Gasing, which it claimed involved the extensive felling of trees on steep slopes.

Peka also submitted a memorandum urging MBPJ to take immediate action and stop any further activity in what it said was the last green lung in Petaling Jaya.

The group claimed that several landslides had already been reported and that continued clearing could endanger lives.

The protesters were joined by a group of residents and hikers from Bukit Gasing and Petaling Jaya, who backed Peka’s call for an immediate end to all logging and development activities in the area.