Rangers destroy crops on encroached forest reserve land

CAMERON HIGHLANDS: A vegetable farm owner thought he could earn extra income by expanding his farm located along the Batu Gangan Forest Reserve near here.

The man in his 40s, who encroached on the 1.6ha of land in the forest reserve early this year, had planted various crops and was preparing to harvest them within the next few months.

However, his luck ran out on Wednesday.

A team of Forestry Department and Civil Defence Force rangers, participating in “Ops Musnah” here, spotted his farm located 45 minutes from the main road.

District forestry officer Nurul Hidayah Hazudha said the farm which was planted with maize, long beans and Chinese parsley was located on a hilly area inside the forest reserve.

She said checks revealed the owner had recently cleared the