REHDA Ready To Comply With New EIA Report Requirement

REHDA Ready To Comply With New EIA Report Requirement
18/03/2005 Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR, March 18 (Bernama) -- The Real Estate and Housing Developers' Association Malaysia (REHDA) has welcome Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's instruction making it compulsory for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) reports for developments with a size of 20 hectares and above.

Previously, the EIA report was compulsory only for developments with a size of 50 hectares and more.

REHDA's president, Datuk Jeffrey Ng said REHDA was willing to comply with the new requirement, seeing it as the way forward towards a matured property market.

However, he said REHDA hoped that the process and overall delivery systems would be efficient as the new requirement would definitely cost more time and money to the developers.

"REHDA supports whatever law that needs to be changed for betterment and to protect the country and industry but we need the public sector delivery system to be efficient.

"It should not be slowed down by the fact we got this new law," he told reporters after the official opening here Friday of the Malaysia Property Exposition (Mapex) 2005 Kuala Lumpur.

Following the orders from Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, trees that are six inches or more in diameter are now also not allowed to be chopped down.

Meanwhile, Mapex 2005 Kuala Lumpur which is being held at the Mid Valley Megamall here from Friday till March 20, is offering about 28,000 units of properties with a total indicative value of over RM8 billion.

A total of 185 booths have been set up including 76 property developers and 11 major financial institutions. The property exposition will be also held throughout the country while the national level fair will be held at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) here from April 14-17. -- BERNAMA