public participation

They complained that a study team from King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Lat Krabang (KMITL) had conducted an improper public hearing on the project.

People from local communities and academics denounced the KMITL study team, saying that people's right to decide on the project had been violated.

They said the study team had set up a public hearing without providing essential information on the project and also claimed to have support of riverside communities, which were yet to approve the project.

SINGAPORE: The Cross Island Line that will stretch from Jurong to Changi could save commuters up to 40 minutes of travel time, said Land Transport Authority (LTA) chief executive Chew Men Leong.

The new MRT line, which is scheduled to be ready by 2030, has been the subject of controversy in recent weeks, over one possible option of running the line under the Central Catchment Nature Reserve. Some Singaporeans have even questioned the need for the line in the first place.

After going through the Environment Impact Assessment on soil investigations at the Central Catchment Nature Reserve at MacRitchie, plant expert Lahiru Wijedasa is concerned.

“The disturbance that might be caused by soil investigation is significant and if damage is caused, it will be irreparable,” the former senior arborist at the Singapore Botanic Gardens told The New Paper.

“The most damage from the soil investigations will be on the rare plants and old trees in MacRitchie, from the weight of the machines that will go into the area.”

ENVIRONMENTALISTS ARE being targeted by political attacks again with the public speculating about the political agenda behind their activism, while academics insist that environmental issues cannot be separated from politics and that activists should be careful about confusing political interests with their campaigns.

Shortly after the Irrigation Department suggested that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha reconsider the Mae Wong Dam project, waves of verbal attacks the hit the prominent environmentalist Sasin Chalermlarp, most heavily from the "red shirt" side of the political spectrum.

I applaud the Land Transport Authority (LTA) for engaging various stakeholders regarding the Cross Island MRT Line ("Both possible alignments for CRL will be studied" by Mr Chew Men Leong of the LTA; Feb 22).

However, the letter showed a significant lack of understanding of the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) process, which has caused undue stress to residents, businesses and nature lovers.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) does not know the exact cost of the alternative option to run a 9km route skirting the nature reserve for the Cross Island Line (CRL), says Minister for Transport on Monday in Parliament.

This comes after the much-publicised claim that the alternative route for CRL would cost $2 billion. LTA chief executive Chew Men Leong had written in a letter to Straits Times on 22 February and said, “Besides land and home acquisitions that could affect families, the extra works could incur $2 billion more in expenditure,”

The planned construction of the new Cross Island Line across the Central Catchment Nature Reserve has triggered concerns from environmental organizations.

Calling for zero impact on the nature reserve, these groups have suggested an alternative route along Lornie Road. In response, the president of Yew Lian Park Residents’ Association, as the representative of affected residents in the area, opposed this suggestion on the grounds that these residents would lose their homes. [1] As long as we subscribe to pragmatism as a nation, this reasoning is unjustified.

SINGAPORE - Site investigation works needed to determine how a train tunnel can be built under Singapore's largest nature reserve will have a "small" impact on the area, even though the reserve is deemed highly sensitive.

This is because stringent mitigating measures will be adopted, said Senior Minister of State for National Development Desmond Lee in Parliament on Monday.

This was the assessment of the environmental consultants hired to assess the environmental impact of preliminary works for the upcoming Cross Island Line MRT project on the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.

SINGAPORE: It may take two more years to complete the environment and technical studies, as well as public consultations needed for the Government to reach a decision on the Cross Island Line project and its exact alignment, said Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan.

The group that calls itself the Public Referendum Website Network comprising Ilaw, online news agency Prachathai website and Mahidol University's Human Rights and Peace Studies held a press conference, opposing restrictions on them in holding two seminars about the charter draft at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC) yesterday.