A GOVERNMENT agency said construction by Shenzhen Metro Group on environmentally protected land is in line with regulations, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported yesterday.

    Local residents oppose the construction and believe it will hurt the ecological system of the protected land, a 140,000-square-meter piece of forest on the southern side of Tanglang Mountain in Nanshan District.

    The city’s urban planning and land resources commission said the environment will not be damaged, because a slightly larger piece of land at Shenzhen Bay Park was added to the protected land area to compensate for the loss.

    According to nearby residents, a commercial property belonging to Shenzhen Metro Group is already under construction on the protected land.

    Residents have officially applied to the government for more information about the project, but have not received a response. The government stated that the residents’ suggestions have reached them.

    The trees in the protected forest area are young and the piece of land is not a water source area and not ecologically sensitive, according to the land commission.

    The commission also cited the regulations concerning the control over protected areas, which say new construction should go forward without cutting the total area and degrading the overall quality of the ecologically protected areas. The implication is that adding extra protected land means the project conforms to these rules.

    According to the commission, the land near Shenzhen Bay Park is mainly encompassed by public greenery and mangroves and is of enormous ecological value.

    Regarding the commission’s response, the residents hold further doubts and questions.

    (Zhang Xiaoyi)