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A JTC corporation officer, 44-year-old Neo Jek Lin, and his then-supervisor, 47-year-old Chong Pui Chih, were each fined S$30,000 for the illegal clearing of 4.5ha of woodland in Kranji, according to The Straits Times.

Neo pleaded guilty to three charges under the Parks and Trees Act and one charge under the Wildlife Act, with three taken into consideration. He was a senior project manager with JTC Corporation (JTC) and has been suspended.

Chong pleaded guilty to three charges under the same act, with four taken into consideration. She was then a deputy director at JTC and has since left the agency.

They pleaded guilty to the charges on Nov. 4 and were fined on Nov. 9.

What happened

A plot of land at Kranji Close and Kranji Road was set aside for the development of an Agri-Food Innovation Park (AFIP) in March 2019.

About 18. 5ha of land, the size of 26 football fields, was allocated for this development. The land was divided into 10 plots.

Neo who was the project manager had to seek NParks' approval for the felling of any tree with a girth exceeding one metre growing on any vacant land.

NParks approved the felling of trees at plot four, five and nine. However, NParks flagged out concerns over the creation of a temporary drain that was designed to discharge water from surface run-off into Sungei Pang Sua, a natural waterway nearby, CNA reported.

NParks then directed those involved in the project to look into measures to mitigate impacts on the wildlife, public safety and health, and ecosystem. NParks also informed that the construction would lead to significant clearance of forested areas and wildlife could be displaced as a result.

As the project was delayed by months due to Covid-19, the pair feared that fulfilling the requirements from NParks would lead to further delays. Hence, they decided to proceed with the felling without NParks' approval while trying to meet NParks' requirement.

The contractor, Hua Tiong, was then told to clear the land.

Unable to measure and manage environmental impacts

In total, 362 trees with girths exceeding one metre were felled without approval.

According to ST, District Judge Lee Jit Cheng said that "while Neo and Chong acted out of a sense of responsibility towards work entrusted to them, they were misguided in failing to show responsibility towards protecting the environment."

Deputy Public Prosecutor Nicholas Khoo asked for a fine of S$34,000 for Neo and a fine of S$28,000 for Chong, CNA reported.

“The approval for them to cut the trees would have eventually been given by NParks, but the harm caused in this case is the failure to allow for proper environmental studies to be done, to ensure wildlife, flora and fauna could be properly managed," said the prosecution.

Background

Members of the public were drawn to the illegal clearance after photos showing "before" and "after" of the site went viral online on Feb. 15, 2021.

The sheer scale of the clearance seen from photos had taken the public as well as nature enthusiasts by surprise.

NParks' investigation into the unauthorised clearance began on Feb. 21, 2021.

A stern warning was given to the contractor Hua Tiong and an immediate stop work order was issued.

A few months later, the agency uncovered discrepancies in the information provided by the two JTC officers Neo and Chong.

The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) was also brought in, and they subsequently ruled out corruption.

The case was then referred to the police to establish what happened and identify if there was any criminal conduct.

Following the incident, JTC continued with the Biodiversity Baseline Study and an Environmental Monitoring and Management Plan (EMMP) for specified plots of land within the area.

The agency also had a meeting with some members of the nature community.

Conservation Committee Chair of Nature Society Singapore Leong Kwok Peng previously told Mothership that this was his first time as far as he remembers learning about such oversight by a government agency, and he hopes the agency will engage the nature community with future updates on the investigation and development plans in the area.

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Top photo by Brice Li