NATURE RESERVES ACT (Modification of Schedule)

5.09 p.m.

The Minister for Law and National Development (Mr E. W. Barker): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move the motion* standing in my name as it stands in the Order Paper.

• The motion reads as follows:

`That this Parliament, pursuant to subsection (1) of section 4 of the Nature Reserves Act (Chapter 295), resolves that paragraph 4 of the Schedule to the said Act be deleted.'

The motion deals with the Kranji Forest Reserve, Lot 162-5 Mukim XIII, Sembawang, which has been sub divided into two Lots: -

(1) Lot 162-8 which has an area of 51.313 acres (21 hectares), and

(2) Lot 162-7 which has an area of 2.097 acres (.8 hectare).

Sir, the Sewerage Department of the Ministry of the Environment requires the first Lot for the proposed Woodlands Sewage Treatment Works which will serve Woodlands New Town and the Kranji area. The site was chosen, after careful evaluation of several locations, as the most suitable for the proposed sewage treatment works. The Nature Reserves Board has agreed to the release of this Lot 162-8.

The other subdivided Lot 162-7 was excised on 30th August, 1958, and taken up for the widening of Wood-lands Road. A resolution approving this excision was passed by the Legislative Assembly on 26th January, 1959. Unfortunately, the deletion was not followed by the requisite Gazette notification. It is now necessary to move a fresh resolution in Parliament so that the relevant notification may be subsequently published in the Government Gazette.

It is therefore proposed to delete the above two areas forming the Kranji Reserve from the Schedule to the Nature Reserves Act in the manner provided under section 4 thereof.

Sir, I beg to move.

Question put, and agreed to.

Resolved,

That this Parliament, pursuant to subsection (1) of section 4 of the Nature Reserves Act (Chapter 295), resolves that paragraph 4 of the Schedule to the said Act be deleted.